The Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) has renewed calls for Western Kenya to pursue the presidency, arguing that the region has long played a supporting role in national leadership despite its significant voting strength.

In a statement shared on his X handle on Friday, July 24, 2026, the party leader Eugene Wamalwa said Western Kenya should no longer be viewed as a region that only produces deputy presidents, insisting the time has come for it to field and elect one of its own to the country’s highest office.

“Western Kenya is not the export zone of deputy presidents. We have produced vice presidents as a region. We are now qualified with our votes, over 5 million. We are ready, and we qualify to produce the president!” the statement read.

The former CS has noted that Western Kenya has produced several vice presidents and deputy presidents over the years. The party argues that this record, coupled with what it says is a voting bloc of more than five million people, gives the region sufficient political weight to seek the presidency.

DAP-K’s message reignites debate over regional power-sharing and succession politics ahead of the 2027 General Election, where political alignments continue to take shape across the country.

The declaration also signals a growing push by leaders from Western Kenya to rally the region behind a common political agenda rather than playing a secondary role in national coalitions. Calls for regional unity have become more frequent as parties position themselves for the next election cycle.

The party has not indicated who it intends to back for the presidency but maintains that Western Kenya has both the numbers and the leadership capacity to produce Kenya’s next Head of State.

Western Kenya has historically produced influential national leaders who served as vice presidents or deputy presidents but has never produced a president. In recent months, conversations around regional political bargaining have intensified as parties seek to consolidate their traditional support bases ahead of the 2027 general election.

DAP-K’s latest message adds to the growing debate over whether regions with large voting populations should shift from negotiating for deputy positions to seeking the presidency itself.