Why President Ruto Might Get More Votes in Migori Than Raila Did in 2013, 2017 and 2022 (Opinion)

Migori is one of the counties in the Luo Nyanza region. The county is dominated by the Luo community, followed by the Kuria. Other communities, including the Kisii, Luhya, Somali and Maasai, also have a significant presence in the county.

The late Raila Odinga performed well in Migori in previous General Elections. However, President William Ruto might get more votes in the county than Raila did in 2013, 2017 and 2022.

This time, the Luo and Kuria communities, which account for a large proportion of the county’s population, could vote for the same presidential candidate. This did not happen in 2013, 2017 and 2022, when the two communities took different political paths.

In 2013 and 2017, former President Uhuru Kenyatta received more votes than Raila in Kuria areas, while Raila won the support of most Luo voters. In 2022, Ruto received more votes than Raila in the Kuria constituencies. UDA also won both Kuria West and Kuria East parliamentary seats.

As the country heads towards the next General Election, ODM, which enjoys strong support in Luo Nyanza, and UDA, which is dominant in the Kuria areas, are working together under the broad-based arrangement.

This could give Ruto an opportunity to gain support from both communities, something Raila did not achieve in the previous three General Elections.

Omondifredy feedback-opera-news-app@opera.com