Politics & Governance

Mudavadi calls on UDA grassroots to reject division ahead of Kenya’s 2027 vote

By NowinAfrica Editorial Board • August 11, 2026 • Politics & Governance

An outdoor political rally in Nairobi, Kenya, with supporters waving party colours as a speaker addresses them from a wooden podium.

Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has called on grassroots members of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to reject internal divisions as the party prepares for the 2027 general election cycle, according to peopledaily.digital.

Mudavadi, who also serves as Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, addressed party supporters and urged them to focus on unity rather than factional disputes that have periodically surfaced within UDA since it assumed power. The party, formed in 2021, rose to national prominence after its leader, President William Ruto, won the August 2022 presidential election on a platform anchored on economic transformation and a bottom-up economic model.

The 2027 vote will be the first general election held under the broad-based government arrangement that brought senior opposition figures into the cabinet following the 2024 Gen Z-led protests against the Finance Bill. Mudavadi, a veteran politician and former long-serving leader of the Amani National Congress (ANC), is among those incorporated into the executive under the arrangement, alongside other opposition figures who joined the administration.

Kenya’s electoral cycle has typically drawn early attention from political parties, with preparations often beginning more than two years before polling day. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is expected to outline the formal roadmap for the 2027 polls in due course, including timelines for party primaries, voter registration, and coalition negotiations.

Appeals for party cohesion come against a backdrop of reported tensions within UDA between factions loyal to the president and others aligned with senior party figures. Mudavadi’s message, as reported by peopledaily.digital, signals the government’s interest in projecting a united front as the country approaches the next electoral test.