UDA reschedules grassroots elections in Tana River and Turkana Counties
By Kenneth Mwenda, April 23, 2026The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has rescheduled its grassroots elections in Tana River and Turkana counties, pushing the exercise from Thursday, April 23, to Saturday, May 2, 2026.
In a notice dated April 22, 2026, the party’s National Elections Board (NEB) said the change was necessary to allow officials to complete key logistical and administrative preparations. The board said the move would ensure a smooth and well-organised voting process in the two counties.
“The grassroots elections earlier planned for Thursday, 23rd April 2026, will now be held on Saturday, 2nd May 2026,” the notice read in part.
NEB chair Anthony Mwaura said the adjustment aims to improve coordination on the ground and avoid disruptions that could affect participation.
“This adjustment has been made to allow for the finalisation of essential logistical and administrative arrangements, thereby facilitating a well-coordinated electoral process,” Mwaura said.
He urged all eligible party members, aspirants and stakeholders in the affected counties to take note of the new date and prepare accordingly.
“All eligible Members are encouraged to take note of the new date and make adequate preparations to participate in the elections,” he added.
Nationwide grassroots elections overview
The rescheduling affects two counties that were part of a wider nationwide exercise expected to take place on April 23. The party had planned to conduct its Repeat Phase II grassroots elections across 18 counties, including Tana River and Turkana.
According to the party, more than 450,000 candidates have registered to contest for various grassroots positions across the country. These positions cut across different groups, including women, youth, professionals, farmers, religious leaders and small-scale traders.
The elections are set to take place in over 9,000 polling stations nationwide, with an estimated eight million party members expected to take part. Voting is scheduled to run from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
UDA said it has deployed technology to manage the process, including electronic voting tablets at polling centres. The party noted that results will be uploaded to its official platforms once voting ends.
“As with previous grassroots elections, we will deploy end-to-end technology to manage the process,” the party said in an earlier briefing.
The grassroots elections form a key part of UDA’s broader effort to strengthen its structures at the local level. The exercise is expected to produce more than 180,000 elected grassroots officials who will play a central role in the party’s leadership framework.
While most counties are set to proceed with the April 23 timeline, the delay in Tana River and Turkana highlights the logistical challenges of organising a large-scale internal party election