Photo of DP Wiliam Ruto and ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi during a rally in Bungoma. Image courtesy.
The western region has become one of the most highly sought regions by presidential candidates ahead of the August 9 general election.
The Kenya Kwanza Coalition, Azimio la Umoja movement, and One Kenya Alliance have been crisscrossing the region in a bid to control the vote-rich region.
The three groupings’ leaders are planning to camp in Western this weekend in order to promote their ideology to the locals.
While the Azimio team will congregate in Busia, the Kenya Kwanza coalition, led by Deputy President William Ruto, will rally in Kakamega.
Oka leaders Kalonzo Musyoka, Gideon Moi, Cyrus Jirongo, and Martha Kaura will also hold rallies in Western on Saturday.
President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga with the OKA alliance principals at the State House in Mombasa
The race to capture the Western vote bloc demonstrates the bloc’s importance to national leadership. Historically, the region has favored Raila in previous elections alongside Mudavadi and Wetang’ula.
The three leaders will now compete for the regions’ votes, with Mudavadi and Wetang’ula teaming up with DP William Ruto against Raila.
This week, the Kenya Kwanza team has been camping in Western Kenya, holding rallies in Vihiga, Busia, Kakamega, Kisii, and Nyamira.
Photo of DP William Ruto and Musalia Mudavadi in Nakuru on January 26
The excursions were the formation’s first visits to the region following the establishment of the Ford Kenya partnership with Ruto’s UDA, Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC, and Moses Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya.
Mudavadi’s more assertive nature also appears to excite the ground, which believes he has been too soft in the past but is now emerging as a strong man on his own.
On the other hand, the Azimio team has been holding town hall-style meetings to strategize how to market Raila in the region.
Azimio has taken the multi-pronged strategy to neutralize ANC and Ford Kenya’s influence in the region after the two decided to join forces with Ruto.
