Women aspirants weigh options as 2027 alliances shift

By  Moraa Obiria

Senior Gender Journalist

What you need to know:

• A new Infotrak survey shows 29 per cent of Kenyans identify with no political party, complicating calculations for female candidates already torn between regional heavyweights like UDA, ODM, DCP, and Wiper.

In Kisii County, a woman aspirant is torn over which political party to align with amid shifting political alliances.

She says personal popularity alone may not be enough to secure an elective seat; the political party ticket could make or break her chances.

“You can campaign 24 hours and become popular, but a political party, alliance or coalition can swallow you. So I have to be wise; otherwise, I will lose before I even get to the ballot,” she says.

She is watching how the political alliances unfold and who eventually secures the presidential ticket.

Matiang’i factor

“I am seeing several parties, but we are waiting to see who will get the presidential ticket. If Matiang’i (Jubilee Party leader Fred Matiang’i) does not get the presidential ticket, then whoever gets it will determine my choice of political party because that is where the political wave will have shifted,” she says.

Matiang’i is Jubilee Party's presidential candidate for the 2027 General Election and a member of the National Council of the Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya Coalition Party.

He is also among the principal figures in the United Alternative Government, an opposition bloc that brings together several political leaders, including Rigathi Gachagua of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), Kalonzo Musyoka of the Wiper Patriotic Front (Wiper), and Martha Karua of the People's Liberation Party.

Others are Justin Muturi of the Democratic Party of Kenya, Eugene Wamalwa of the Democratic Action Party - Kenya, Peter Munya of the Party of National Unity, and Lenny Kivuti of the Devolution Empowerment Party.

Dagoretti North Member of Parliament Beatrice Elachi, who won the seat in 2022 on a direct Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) nomination ticket, advises women aspirants against contesting on the ticket of a party with little political influence in their regions, saying it could undermine their chances.
Beatrice was the only woman elected to a constituency seat in Nairobi County, which has 17 constituencies.

“Any woman in this room going to vie, don't tell us you are going to a party that is not strong in your region,” she said during a National Gender and Equality Commission meeting in Nairobi on 2 October, 2026, attended by women legislators and aspirants.

“You will fail. If you are from Central, fight in DCP. In Nairobi, fight in DCP or ODM. In Ukambani, fight in Wiper. Don't go to a party you know very well cannot deliver.”

Political party popularity

A recent survey found that nearly three in 10 Kenyans do not identify with any political formation. The Infotrak nationwide survey of 3,000 adults aged 18 and above, conducted between June 22 and 26, 2026, found that 28 per cent of respondents had no preference for any political formation, while 29 per cent said they felt closest to no political party.

Among political formations, the broad-based government emerged as the most popular, attracting 27 per cent support. Linda Mwananchi followed at 24 per cent, while the United Alternative Government had 20 per cent.

The findings show a closely contested race between the ruling UDA and ODM, although a significant proportion of Kenyans remain politically unattached.

UDA attracted 22 per cent, compared with ODM’s 21 per cent. DCP followed at nine per cent, Jubilee at six per cent and Wiper at five per cent.

However, the largest single response was from those who said they did not identify with any political party, at 29 per cent. 

Broken down by region, UDA has its strongest support in North Eastern, at 45 per cent, followed by Rift Valley at 39 per cent and Coast at 27 per cent. 
ODM, on the other hand, leads in Nyanza, where it attracts 50 per cent, and Coast, at 46 per cent.  

DCP's strongest regional support is in Central, at 33 per cent, followed by Eastern at 10 per cent, while Wiper's support is concentrated in Eastern, where it attracts 23 per cent. And Jubilee has its strongest showing in Nyanza, at 12 per cent.