Savula courts Luhya diaspora votes to bolster Ruto's 2027 re-election bid

Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula during a media briefing in Mombasa. [Robert Menza, Standard]

Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula has stepped up President William Ruto’s 2027 re-election campaign by rallying Luhya voters living outside Western Kenya.

He claims to target an additional 300,000 diaspora votes to reinforce the region’s projected 2.6 million ballots.

Speaking during a meeting with Luhya residents in Kajiado County, Savula said consolidating the Western vote and mobilising the community spread across Nairobi, Kajiado, Nakuru, and Mombasa would significantly strengthen the community’s national political standing.

“If we consolidate our 2.6 million votes from Western Kenya and add another 300,000 from the diaspora, our community will command respect in this country. We will get what we want because we will have shown allegiance to the government of the day,” Savula said.

He warned that a reduced vote output would weaken the community’s influence, arguing that political strength is determined by numbers at the ballot.

“If we give Ruto fewer votes, our influence shrinks. Currently, there is no presidential candidate who can outsmart President Ruto. He is the only game in town,” he said.

Savula urged Luhya voters in Kajiado to align their presidential choice with their preferred local leaders, asking them to support President Ruto alongside candidates contesting county positions.

“When you are voting for Katoo Ole Metito to be governor and Dr. David Nkedianye as senator, please also vote for William Ruto,” he told the gathering.

The Deputy Governor, who serves as the deputy coordinator of President Ruto’s re-election campaign in Western Kenya, said the mobilisation drive was anchored on the broad-based political arrangement currently in government.

He noted that the Luhya community was undergoing a political realignment following the late Raila Odinga’s decision to work with the current administration.

“The Luhya community loved Raila. We stood with him through every election he contested,” Savula said.

“But he left us in government, and I will not betray him by going against the direction he showed before his demise,” the DG added.

Pointing to recent electoral trends, Savula cited the Malava by-election as evidence of the shift, after a United Democratic Alliance candidate won in what had been an opposition stronghold.

“We tested the waters. The people of Malava chose to stay in government, where Raila left them. That tells you where our people want to be,” he said.

He also announced the formation of a Western Kenya caucus to coordinate support for President Ruto’s 2027 bid, to be led by Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka as coordinator, with Savula as his deputy.

In a lighter moment, Savula thanked the Maa community for peacefully coexisting with Luhya settlers in Kajiado, describing the region as home and underscoring the importance of unity as political mobilisation gathers momentum ahead of the next general election.