By Habil Onyango
Siaya County UDA supporters have warned that President William Ruto risks losing votes in Nyanza should he give in to ODM’s zoning agenda.
Led by acting Siaya County UDA chairman Fredrick Oyugi Dor, embracing ‘zoning’ would not only deny the President votes in Luo Nyanza but also lock out potential and visionary leaders who are keen on bringing reforms that would transform the lives of the residents.
The leaders termed the zoning campaigns as a strategy meant to stifle existing democracy.
“Ring-fencing Nyanza region in favour of ODM is a blow to other parties with potential candidates for 2027. The strategy will be a blow to the President who is seeking re-election in 2027,” said Dor.
“The President should shield his UDA supporters by rejecting the spirit of zoning that is hovering over the Nyanza region before it brings confusion,” he said.
According to Dor, if leaders want to ring-fence Nyanza, then they should do so in favour of President Ruto but not ODM.
“The only role we have as Siaya and entire Nyanza leaders is to see to it that President Ruto’s re-election bid sails through in 2027,” noted the acting chairman.
UDA has been conducting grassroots recruitment across the country, which Dor revealed is a strategy aimed at putting ODM on notice to prepare for fierce competition.
“It is through fierce competition among the parties in the region that will earn the President votes,” he said.
He warned of voter apathy should ODM dominate the Nyanza region.
“People will be reluctant to vote in 2027 because the majority will think that a decision has already been made,” he said.
“Only 200,000 votes denied former Premier Raila Odinga votes in 2022, and yet 700,000 people failed to turn up for the exercise,” said Dor.
The acting chairman added that zoning will lock out young and visionary leaders from posts.
“It’s unfortunate that those spreading zoning messages are old guards who have been recycled for years but have not added any value to people’s lives,” he said.
“Some of the leaders advocating for zoning have outlived their usefulness. They are people who rose to leadership when we were still youths, and up to now, we are grandfathers, but still they want to compete with us,” noted Dor.
He spoke in Siaya during the sensitization of UDA supporters ahead of the Thursday elections.
Daniel Omondi, a UDA supporter from Central Alego, lauded the President for his bid to strengthen his party at the grassroots.
“As UDA Siaya supporters, we want to assure the President that we shall comb villages and mobilise them to support his re-election bid,” he said.
“Let ODM continue to embrace the broad-based government, and they should forget zoning because their schemes will not materialise,” urged Omondi.
Mildred Ochieng, another UDA supporter from Ugunja, said that those championing zoning have sensed defeat and are now panicking, especially now that there is no party leader who will endorse or lift their hands in public.
“The President should not allow ODM to dictate to him,” said Ochieng.
Ugenya MP and MDG party leader rejected zoning, saying it aims at suppressing voter participation and erodes constitutional principles.
“Zoning threatens the foundation of competitive politics by pre-determining electoral outcomes,” he added.
“The moment you start saying this party belongs to this region and another party belongs elsewhere, you are already violating the constitution,” he said.
Ochieng linked zoning to declining voter turnout, citing recent by-elections where participation dropped sharply in areas perceived as politically ‘locked’.
“In some constituencies where competition was effectively absent, turnout fell to as low as 24 per cent. But in areas with real competition, turnout rose to over 45 per cent,” he said.
