Broad-based govt enjoys highest support in North-Eastern Kenya – TIFA survey
By Kiprono Keileb, September 24, 2025A new TIFA survey shows that the political partnership between President William Ruto and Raila Odinga, popularly known as the Broad-Based Government (BBG), has found its strongest support base in North-Eastern Kenya.
The arrangement, which brought opposition leaders into government positions, continues to shape the political conversation nearly two years before the 2027 elections.
TIFA notes that this alliance was first unveiled last year when President Ruto backed Odinga’s bid for the AU Commission chairmanship, leading to a power-sharing deal that saw ODM leaders appointed to Cabinet and other senior positions.
“Nearly one year ago, with President William Ruto engaged in an Africa-wide campaign on behalf of former prime minister Raila Odinga’s bid to become AU Commission chairman, the two of them announced their partnership in a ‘broad-based government’ (BBG) that shortly thereafter saw the appointment of several senior ODM elected leaders to Cabinet and, subsequently, of more Odinga associates to various other government positions,” TIFA stated.
The research firm added that the arrangement significantly changed ODM’s role in Parliament. “This agreement effectively ‘defanged’ ODM’s parliamentary role as the official Opposition,” TIFA observed.
An earlier TIFA report showed rising support for the Raila-Ruto broad-based government.
According to the survey, the BBG appeared to strengthen further after Raila’s failed AU bid in February, with President Ruto making multiple visits to Nyanza to launch development projects.
“This partnership appeared to have strengthened further following Odinga’s failure to win the AU seat in February, with, among other things, the president making multiple visits to Odinga’s Nyanza region to commission development projects, among other activities,” TIFA noted.
Even as the deal has boosted visibility for the government in regions previously aligned with the opposition, it has not been without controversy.
TIFA highlighted that, “However popular these two leaders have been, this arrangement has engendered some disquiet among their respective core support bases, for various reasons, and with the next general election now less than two years away, its evolving impact is attracting serious attention across the political landscape.”
The survey further explained that the question of support for the BBG was repeated, as in May, to measure how Kenyans’ views are shifting.
“In this TIFA survey, the question of the opinion Kenyans have about the BBG was asked again (as it was in the May survey)… Although it is usually impossible to measure the intensity to which certain views are held, doing this does allow for a ‘deeper analysis’ of much of the data.”
From the findings, North-Eastern Kenya emerges as the strongest supporter of the broad-based government, underscoring the region’s embrace of coalition politics in shaping Kenya’s leadership.