Raila Odinga, the leader of the Azimio La Umoja party, has suffered a setback in his bid to retain control of the Nyanza region after more than 30 leaders pledged their loyalty to President William Ruto and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party on March 13.
The political leaders, including former Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) governors Okoth Obado (Migori), Jack Ranguma (Kisumu) and Evans Kidero (Nairobi), as well as former Members of Parliament and other officials, met with the President and his Deputy at State House, Nairobi, to pledge their support for the government.
They argued that they were searching for development projects for the Nyanza region, which they believed would be achieved through close association with Kenya Kwanza.
In addition to pledging their support for the government, the politicians vowed to continue mobilizing more people from Nyanza to join Kenya Kwanza, in order to further weaken Raila’s influence in the region.
President Ruto welcomed the defectors, saying that Nyanza would benefit from close coordination with the government.
His deputy argued that the region needed a leadership overhaul.
