Big test for UDA in Mt Kenya as grassroots elections get underway

UDA party elected leaders from Nyeri county and the party secretariat during the grassroots elections sensitization program at Kagumo Teachers Training College on December 10, 2025

The elections will also be conducted in the Rift Valley, the only other remaining region.

The two regions propelled President William Ruto to the 2022 electoral victory.

However, things have changed in Mt Kenya, with growing hostility towards President Ruto’s administrations and the UDA party.

The party elections, the first in the region, thus come at a delicate moment for Ruto.

Mt Kenya, once a key support base for Ruto, has been restive following the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and the subsequent formation of his political outfit, the Democracy for the Citizens Party.

At the same time, retired President Uhuru Kenyatta has stepped up efforts to revive his Jubilee Party, further complicating the political terrain for UDA in the region.

DCP and Jubilee are widely viewed as Mt Kenya-centric parties, largely because of their association with Gachagua and Uhuru respectively. Their renewed activity has intensified competition for political influence in a region, which in 2022 voted for Ruto almost to a man.  

For UDA, the grassroots elections are intended to entrench party structures at the ward, constituency and county levels, strengthen mobilisation and reconnect the party with its base.

Nyeri Senator Wahome Wamatinga said the grassroots elections will offer an opportunity to strengthen the ruling party.

“UDA, being the ruling party,… we would want to revamp it. We have seen and are quite excited by the interest people have expressed in the party. For instance in Mukurweini, we have 2,800 people who have registered to compete in different offices in the polling station level,” he said.

Notably, Mukurweini MP John Kaguchia, who was elected on the UDA ticket, has since aligned with the Gachagua camp.

In Mathira, MP Eric Wamumbi said 3,000 participants have registered to seek different positions.

“Every polling station will be required to elect 20 representatives to represent them in the UDA party. After that, we will have ward-level elections, then constituency and county elections, all the way to the national level. We want to build a strong party with structures right from the grassroots level,” he said.

Mathira is Gachagua's home constituency.

However, the exercise is unfolding against a backdrop of public discontent linked to economic pressures, controversial policy choices, and perceptions the region has been sidelined since Gachagua’s removal.

Political observers see the elections as both an organisational exercise and a political barometer.

Low turnout, disputed outcomes or visible resistance to UDA candidates could signal deeper problems for the party in Mt Kenya.

The party was forced to extend the registration period to January 5 to “allow all eligible participants adequate time to complete the registration”.

The party secretariat also moved to establish county-based support teams to assist members and candidates who may be experiencing challenges.

On the other hand, a smooth process with strong participation could offer Ruto’s allies an opportunity to argue that the party still retains significant grassroots support despite recent turbulence.

The stakes are particularly high for UDA leaders and elected officials from Mt Kenya who have remained loyal to Ruto.

They are under pressure to use the elections to popularise the party, defend the government’s record, and counter narratives being advanced by DCP and a resurgent Jubilee. Failure to do so could weaken their standing both within the party and among voters in their backyards, playing their own political future on the lifeline.

In the Rift Valley, President Ruto’s political stronghold, the elections are expected to be less contentious. Still, the region will be closely watched for signs of internal competition, factionalism or voter apathy that could affect UDA’s cohesion going into the next electoral cycle.

Beyond internal party dynamics and in the regions, the grassroots polls have broader implications for the 2027 presidential race.

A strong showing by UDA in Mt Kenya would complicate efforts by rival parties to consolidate the region against Ruto.

On the other hand, any visible cracks could embolden DCP and Jubilee as they seek to position themselves as alternative vehicles for Mt Kenya’s political interests.

The elections also test UDA’s capacity as a relatively young party to manage internal democracy without triggering disputes that could spill into the courts or fuel defections.