Saturday 06th June, 2026 07:19 AM|
Ikolomani Member of Parliament (MP) Bernard Shinali has renewed calls for Western Kenya to secure the Deputy President position in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking at an event in Western on Friday, June 5, 2026, the lawmaker argued that the region has remained loyal to President William Ruto and deserves greater representation in the country’s top leadership.
Shinali said leaders and residents from the region are ready to support President Ruto’s re-election bid in 2027 but expect the region to be considered for the deputy president slot.
“Na tuko na kura ya kutosha, mnaniunga mkono kwa hilo? Tupate deputy president?” Shinali posed to the crowd.
The lawmaker said Western Kenya has sufficient political numbers and youthful leadership capable of producing a national leader for the second-highest office in the land.
“Si nyinyi mmezaa? Na tuko na vijana wetu wanatosha, 2027 sisi deputy president, 2032 sisi tunachukua uongozi wa Kenya,” he declared.
Shinali further revealed that leaders from the region have already communicated their political expectations to key allies of President Ruto, including influential State House aide Farouk Kibet.
“Sisi tumeambia hawa wangwana wetu, neighbours akina Farouk Kibet, yakwamba wakati huu tunasimama nyuma yenu kama number two. Wakati ule unakuja tunataka na nyinyi pia mtusupport,” he said.
Long-term political partnership
The MP framed the demand as part of a long-term political partnership between the Kenya Kwanza administration and the Western Kenya voting bloc.
“Tutakuwa tumewakosea? 2027 tusimame na William Ruto, deputy president akiwa kutoka hapa uluhyani,” he added.
Western Kenya has increasingly emerged as a crucial battleground in national politics, with both the Kenya Kwanza administration and opposition leaders aggressively courting the region’s large voting population.
Several leaders from the region have in recent months pushed for a stronger share of senior government positions, arguing that Western Kenya’s growing support for the ruling coalition should translate into higher political representation.
Western Kenya leaders’ Naivasha meeting
Shinali’s remarks come weeks after a section of leaders from Western Kenya held a high-level consultative forum in Naivasha, where they pledged to support President Ruto’s re-election bid in the 2027 General Election, and demanded a DP slot.
Taking to his official X account on Sunday, May 24, 2026, shortly after the meeting, Coperatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya said the engagement focused on the future of the region and the collective aspirations of the Mulembe Nation, with an emphasis on unity, cooperation, and development.
Oparanya also noted that the meeting provided a platform to reflect on the need for political unity and a shared development agenda across Western Kenya counties.
They stressed that cohesion among leaders from the region was key to accelerating socio-economic transformation and ensuring equitable development.
