By Anderson Ojwang
Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has moved to reinvent the political wheels by turning to old tyres to market President William Ruto in Nyanza for the 2027 presidential election.
In an abrupt and impromptu meeting held in Nairobi, Wandayi on Saturday evening summoned former Members of Parliament for a meeting at his Nairobi home.
Wandayi wrote on his social media platforms: “Today, I hosted former Members of Parliament from across the country for strategic consultations on Kenya’s political future. Unity of Purpose is taking shape.”
Rescue Owalo orphans
The move by Wandayi to meet former MPs could have been informed by the fact and reality that the majority of them were orphans of former Cabinet Minister Eliud Owalo.
Owalo cobbled together a team of former politicians and over 100 professionals from Nyanza during his tenure in the Cabinet to champion Ruto’s and United Democratic Alliance (UDA) agenda in Nyanza.
After Owalo resigned, the team became orphaned and were relegated to the periphery of the mainstream political unit.
Owalo earlier in the year resigned and formed the People’s Prosperity Party (PPP), in which he envisages running for the presidency in the 2027 General Election.
The fish
At the meeting were former MPs, the majority of whom last held political office over 15 years ago. They included Ochieng Mbeo, Gor Sungu, Ochieng Daima, Jared Kopiyo, Ayiecho Olweny, Elizabeth Ongoro, Tom Obondo, Peter Odoyo, among others.
The former MPs served either two terms or one term and suffered election losses, with the majority opting out of active politics.
Wandayi hopes the former MPs could be an important vehicle for marketing President Ruto and propagating unconditional support for the President.
Currently, factions have emerged, with one supporting unconditional support for President Ruto, while the other camp, led by party leader Dr Oburu Oginga, National Chairperson Gladys Wanga, Deputy Party Leader Simba Arati and Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, wants a pre-election coalition agreement signed.
Resolution
The meeting agreed to pool collective experience, networks and political influence in support of President Samoei Ruto’s re-election in 2027.
“Our focus is to build a broad-based national coalition anchored on unity, stability, inclusive development and a shared vision for Kenya’s future,” Wandayi said.
The former legislators dismissed the demands for a written political pact with President Ruto, terming them unfortunate. They argued that the region should support his re-election without attaching public conditions because of his development projects in the region.
They said Nyanza should not gamble with its political future at a time when the region was beginning to enjoy what they described as unprecedented government development projects.
Wandayi said there was a need to promote unity of purpose within the Luo community and rally behind the broad-based government.
“We appreciate the progress made under President Ruto in the broad-based arrangement he entered into with our departed leader Raila Odinga.
“We have resolved to support the re-election of President Ruto in August 2027. We shall do what it takes to rally support for him among our community members, highlighting the positive gains,” Wandayi said.
Take home
For Wandayi, the meeting was a success, as the former MPs have structures and networks that would be handy in Ruto’s campaign.
K’Opiyo described the meeting as a coming together of minds, saying the leaders would organise themselves to deliver the region for President Ruto in the 2027 elections.
“We will organise ourselves and find how we can deliver Luo Nyanza and the entire region as a bloc behind William Ruto. We support two terms,” he said.
Ongoro said Raila’s death had left a political vacuum that was yet to be settled effectively and that it was important for the region to come together to find common ground.
“Our political voice was abruptly taken away from us. It is critical that we find convergence. We will keep consulting because it is proper that we speak with each other as leaders,” she said.
Former Homa Bay Deputy Governor Hamilton Orata welcomed the move, saying the meeting demonstrated the seriousness with which some Nyanza leaders were approaching Ruto’s re-election campaign.
“We must continue to stay in the broad-based government. Other leaders should copy to ensure all are involved,” he said, commending Wandayi for bringing the former lawmakers together.
Besieged
Wandayi is a besieged man as he engages in a supremacy battle with National Assembly Budget Committee Chairman Sam Atandi over Siaya leadership.
Wandayi equally has a bone to chew with Siaya Governor James Orengo, his political teacher and mentor, whom he has declared total war on over his opposition to the broad-based alliance.
Equally, Wandayi has been salivating over the Luo community kingpin position and faces off with several other admirers of the throne.
More importantly, Wandayi has been accused of failing to deliver on his mandate in the provision of electricity and stabilising the power supply in Siaya and other parts of Nyanza.
President Ruto, on March 31, 2026, during his recent four-day tour of Nyanza, stirred a storm with his remark to Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and his Energy counterpart, Opiyo Wandayi, by using a Luo adjective “ti gi wiyi” (use your head).
A supremacy battle has erupted in Siaya between Wandayi and Atandi, and the battle is not only about the gubernatorial race and candidatures but also service delivery and development projects.
Various sources revealed that Atandi and his team have been irked by Wandayi’s inability and ineffectiveness in delivering last-mile electricity projects and stabilising the power supply in the county.
The various sources intimated to the writer that the local leadership and residents are bitter that the county still suffers electricity outages whenever it rains.
Will tyres roll?
Will the old tyres roll to make President Ruto’s vote hunt in Nyanza a reality?
