UDA ups bid to win over Nyanza against ODM

UDA Party Secretary General Cleophas Malala hands over a certificate to Former Kisumu Senator Frederick Outa Otieno after luo Nyanza leaders joined the UDA party. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

President William Ruto's UDA has intensified registration of new members in Nyanza where it hopes to eat into ODM's support.

The region has been ODM leader Raila Odinga's stronghold for many years now.

UDA officials said they are targeting to register 350,000 new members in Homa Bay County by 2027. Homa Bay had 551,000 registered voters during last year's 2022 election.

Yesterday, UDA party took its member registration campaign to Ndhiwa constituency in Homa Bay as its officials tried to woo residents to register as members.

A similar exercise is also taking place in Migori and it is being led by Kenya Nuclear Regulatory Authority chairman Omondi Anyanga.

In Ndhiwa, former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, Lake Victoria South Water Works Development Agency chairman Odoyo Owidi, Fish Marketing Authority chairman Martin Ogindo and Homa Bay County UDA interim chairman Kennedy Obuya led the exercise.

Dr Kidero told the region that the time had come for residents to have an alternative pathway ahead of the 2027 General Election.

He argued that it is more prudent for the community to avoid banking their hope in a single political as they have been doing before.

He argued that acceptance of the UDA party will give Nyanza residents an alternative political party that will ensure their will is respected during party primaries ahead of the 2027 General election.

"Our reliance on one political party all these years has led to a lack of democracy where nomination certificates are given to candidates who don't merit it," Kidero said.

Owidi told politicians in the region to respect one another regardless of their political parties.

Owidi argued that some ODM politicians have been behind incidents of violence in the county to hurt their efforts to popularize UDA.

"Politics is a game of competition for numbers. We must all have fair political competition. It is wrong to block a politician from addressing a gathering because they belong to another political party," Owidi told Nyanza residents.