The race for the 2027 General Election is already reshaping political alliances, with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) now openly staking its claim to the Deputy President’s position within the broad-based government arrangement.
Speaking during a political rally in Malava, Kakamega County, on Sunday, July 26, a section of ODM leaders declared that the party will only fully back President William Ruto’s re-election bid if it is allocated the deputy president’s slot. The leaders unanimously endorsed Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya as their preferred candidate for the position.
ODM Acting Secretary General Catherine Omanyo, alongside other party leaders, argued that the cooperation between ODM and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) should be reflected in the country’s top leadership. They maintained that while UDA could field the presidential candidate, ODM should produce the running mate.
National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed told supporters that the party had settled on supporting President Ruto’s 2027 presidential bid, but insisted that the deputy presidency should be reserved for ODM.
“UDA should produce the president while ODM will produce the DP, and we will present Wycliffe Oparanya,” Junet said.
Khwisero MP Christopher Aseka Miradi echoed the sentiments, describing Oparanya as the most suitable choice for the position.
“As ODM, we have agreed that President William Ruto is our candidate in the 2027 General Election. But we have also said that the deputy president must come from ODM, and the only person qualified for that position is Wycliffe Oparanya,” he stated.
The leaders argued that Oparanya’s political influence in Western Kenya, coupled with his long-standing relationship with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, makes him the ideal figure to help strengthen President Ruto’s support in the region ahead of the next election.
The renewed demands come just a day after Deputy President Kithure Kindiki dismissed speculation over his political future, insisting that he remains President Ruto’s running mate for the 2027 election.
While addressing residents in Meru on Saturday, July 25, Kindiki maintained that his position in government is secure and cannot be contested. He compared the Mount Kenya region’s role in the Kenya Kwanza administration to building and furnishing a house, saying it would make no sense to abandon it after investing so much.
Kindiki also urged leaders and residents from the region to rally behind President Ruto’s bid for a second term.
ODM’s latest declaration now sets the stage for a potential political contest within the broad-based alliance, with the party insisting that power-sharing should extend to the country’s second-highest office if its partnership with UDA is to continue into the 2027 elections.
