By Francis Orina
The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has urged its members in Nyamira County to turn out in large numbers for party primaries scheduled for Friday.
The party wants to strengthen its grassroots structures ahead of the 2027 General Election.
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Speaking in Nyamira town while receiving election materials for the exercise, UDA National Treasurer and Kitutu Chache South MP Japheth Nyakundi said the party intended to consolidate its membership from the polling station level to the national leadership.
“UDA is the largest party in Kenya and beyond, and we want to solidify our membership right from the polling station to the national level as we gear up for next year’s general election,” Nyakundi said.
“As the national treasurer elected from this region, I humbly ask our party members to turn up in large numbers across the county and participate in this important exercise,” he added.
The party plans to elect 20 officials in each of Nyamira County’s 356 polling stations, with the exercise expected to involve more than 16,600 members, according to the officials.
UDA national elections committee member Halake Dida assured members and contestants that the primaries would be conducted electronically to enhance transparency and credibility.
“I want to assure both our members and contestants in our polls tomorrow that we will have the most credible party polls, which will be conducted electronically. Let us all come out in large numbers and participate in the exercise,” Dida said.
Scramble for numbers
The officials also dismissed suggestions that the Gusii region and the wider Nyanza region should be left to UDA’s partners in the broad-based government, arguing that cooperation among affiliate parties should not translate into political zoning that excludes some areas.
They maintained that the broad-based arrangement should allow parties to strengthen their presence across the country rather than confine themselves to regions traditionally associated with particular political formations.
The UDA primaries in the Gusii region will test the party’s grassroots support in an area historically associated with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
The exercise comes amid shifting political alignments in the region, where former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, who is associated with the Jubilee Party’s presidential ambitions, is seen as a potential rallying point for some voters ahead of the 2027 elections.
The primaries are expected to provide an indication of UDA’s organisational strength as it seeks to expand its presence in the region.
