President William Ruto and other leaders on February 21, 2025.President William Ruto has addressed the upcoming by-election in Magarini Constituency, affirming that his broad-based government will field a joint candidate.
His remarks come amid intense political manoeuvring by major parties as they work to identify frontrunners for their tickets ahead of the by-election.
While the official date for the mini-poll is yet to be announced, the IEBC selection panel has stated that the commission’s chairperson and commissioners will be in office by April 25.
Speaking on Friday at the burial of Senate Speaker Amason Kingi’s father in Kilifi, Ruto warned his political rivals to prepare for a tough contest when Magarini voters head to the ballot.
He
announced that the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic
Movement (ODM) would hold joint nominations and support the most popular and
formidable candidate.
“Our opponents think we will waste this opportunity, confuse ourselves, and lose. I want to tell them that, as leaders who believe in national unity under this broad-based government, we shall bring everyone together and support the winner,” Ruto said.
He emphasized that former Magarini MP Harrison Kombe (ODM), whose election was annulled by the Supreme Court, and former MP Michael Kingi (PAA) are both his friends.
“Even my UDA aspirant is here, and he is my person, but we shall subject them all to nomination to pick the best candidate,” he added.
Ruto also made it clear that UDA will not allow internal competition that could weaken the broad-based government in the upcoming by-election.
UDA candidate Stanley Kenga, who finished second in the 2022 general election, later challenged Kombe’s victory in court.
The IEBC had initially declared Kombe the winner with 11,946 votes, narrowly defeating Kenga, who garnered 11,925 votes. However, the Supreme Court annulled the results and ordered a fresh election.
At 12 upcoming by-elections are seen as potential political tests for both Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Analysts suggest that the two leaders may be forced to negotiate and field joint candidates in certain constituencies.
Observers believe the by-elections could serve as an early indicator of the 2027 general election battle, which is expected to pit Ruto and Raila against their likely main challengers—Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Gachagua
and Kalonzo are currently working to form a political alliance that includes People's Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua and DAP-Kenya leader Eugene Wamalwa.
