Ruto faces uphill battle to win Western voters ahead of 2027
By Print Reporter, June 10, 2025President William Ruto confronts a formidable challenge as he works to win over the restive Western region ahead of the 2027 elections.
Western Kenya, with over two million voters, is crucial to Ruto’s second-term bid, particularly as his popularity in Mt Kenya has dwindled following his fallout with impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Ruto appears determined to craft a strategy that could secure the lion’s share of votes in Western Kenya, recognising that Mount Kenya’s shifting political landscape poses a significant threat to his re-election prospects.
With his sights set on the bigger prize, Ruto has succeeded in bringing Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga into his camp through a broad-based government coalition.
Political analysts view this as a tactical move to consolidate support in both Nyanza and Western regions, though many caution that it represents a delicate balancing act that could backfire.
Observer warnings
Raila has enjoyed unwavering support in Western Kenya since 2007, making the region one of his most loyal strongholds outside Nyanza.
Political strategist Barrack Muluka believes that Western Kenya’s residents have grown disillusioned with Ruto’s government due to unfulfilled promises.
However, with Raila now on his side, Ruto aims to boost his appeal in the region.
Muluka, also the secretary general of the Umoja Summit Party, has warned that Ruto risks becoming the first president in Kenya’s history to serve a single term, given the changing political landscape and growing disenchantment.
He believes that Raila’s influence in Western Kenya has waned, which could undermine Ruto’s strategy.
Ruto has made significant inroads into Nyanza, channelling billions of shillings into development projects ranging from road construction to investments in the blue economy.
However, the lack of similar projects in Western Kenya has sparked discontent among local leaders, who feel neglected.
Ruto’s allies in Western Kenya, including Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, have expressed dissatisfaction with the perceived favouritism toward Nyanza.
Khalwale has criticised Ruto for overlooking Western Kenya in favour of Nyanza, a region that did not support his 2022 presidential bid.
In an interview with the People Daily, Senator Khalwale questioned why Nyanza, with its strong ties to Raila, benefits from major development projects while Western Kenya remains underdeveloped.
He also warned that Ruto may struggle to explain the government’s development record in Western Kenya, as key promises – including 1,000 kilometres of tarmac roads, the revival of the sugar sector, and upgrades to airstrips in Bungoma, Kakamega, Trans Nzoia, and Busia – remain unfulfilled.
Sugar sector controversy
During the 2022 campaign, Ruto pledged to establish a multimillion-dollar granite factory in Vihiga County, but this promise, like many others, has yet to materialise.
Khalwale, echoing widespread frustration, stated that Ruto’s administration risks losing the region’s electoral support unless it delivers on its promises.
As part of a pre-election deal, Ruto committed to giving Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula 30 per cent of government positions, including key appointments.
However, this promise also remains largely unmet, further eroding trust in the president’s leadership.
In mid-November, a group of MPs from the region led protests outside Nzoia Sugar Company, accusing the government of irregularly leasing out sugar firms in the region in an alleged scheme to kill sugar farming.
The MPs, led by Tindi Mwale and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, threatened to use “all mechanisms” to oppose the leasing, claiming that the tendering process was not transparent.
Mwale further noted that lawmakers in the region are prepared to take the matter to court to halt the leasing process.
“We will use all mechanisms, even if it is to go to protests or to the courts. And we also want to know why they ignored a court order restraining the leasing,” Mwale told People Daily.
Incompetent managers
Sifuna has denounced the leasing of the sugar factories as “daylight robbery” and stressed that the people should be informed about how the tendering and leasing processes were conducted.
“It is difficult for me to accept that despite the tender being internationally announced, it is only two families that are able to run a sugar factory, which are from Kenya,” Sifuna said.
Meanwhile, Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah argues that some individuals who have been leasing the sugar factories are incompetent and will incapacitate the facilities from operating.
“Everybody was ambushed. I’m a contractor at Nzoia, and I transport cane for them, and still they are shutting down the company without telling me because my tractor drivers are the ones who alerted me that the ownership of the factory has changed,” Omtatah said.
Last week, Ruto met with Western Kenya leaders at State House, Nairobi to address the stalled projects in the region. This meeting came just days after Deputy President Kithure Kindiki visited the proposed site for the Gold Refinery project in Kakamega County.