Ruto expects 3 million votes margin in 2027 after ODM-UDA coalition

President William Ruto has declared that he is targeting a decisive victory in the 2027 General Election, saying he wants to win by a margin of between two and three million votes through a possible coalition with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

Speaking on Monday at State House, Nairobi, during a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) National Governing Council meeting, Ruto said the ruling party is keen on broadening its political base to unite the country and consolidate gains made under the broad-based government.

“In the coming election, we want to win by a margin of between 2 and 3 million so that we unite the country and walk together. In the last election, we won by a margin of 200,000. There’s justification for us to consolidate the country into one,” Ruto said.

“This broad-based government has worked. Treasury CS John Mbadi and the others have done a good job."

The president revealed that discussions are ongoing with ODM on the possibility of forming a coalition ahead of the next election.

“We have agreed with the leadership of ODM to let us explore the option of having a coalition in the next election because we want to broaden our base,” he said.

He understated the importance of party politics, especially the grassroots elections, directing that they all be repeated in polling centres where turnout was low, noting that party nominations will be strictly determined by the party, with repeat nominations conducted in areas where the process failed.

“We have instructed NEB that any polling centre where fewer than 50 people voted, we repeat. We will repeat grassroots elections where less than 50 people participated,” he said.

“All nominations will be determined by the party. We will re-do the nominations where they didn’t go well,” he said, adding that polling centre-based elections are key to building a strong party base.

On the economy, the president expressed optimism about Kenya’s long-term prospects, saying the country could become a first-world economy within three decades.

He further disclosed that Kenyans will be given an opportunity to buy shares in Kenya Pipeline Company, saying the move will broaden public ownership.