COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli has said that the opposition team will struggle to get votes from their region unless they have support from important leaders, including himself.
Atwoli believes their efforts to win the region in 2027 are pointless if they don’t have help from ODM leader Raila Odinga, Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi, and Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula.
In his statement on Thursday, Atwoli emphasised that without these key leaders, they will not succeed.
He stated, “Someone tell Gachagu and Kalonzo that as long as our friend Raila Odinga, Moses Wetangula, Musalia Mudavadi, and I are not with you, you cannot win Western Kenya.”
He added, “This is a useless attempt. The Mulembe Nation has its owners.”
The Western region has about 2.2 million votes, which are spread across different counties like Kakamega, Bungoma, Vihiga, Busia, and Trans Nzoia.
Gachagua, Kalonzo, and the entire opposition group are working together across several counties to build a larger alliance for the 2027 elections.
Recently, they visited Kakamega County and Kisumu County. Their tour started on Thursday and will end on Friday, July 4, 2024.
Gachagua, who is also the leader of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), was accompanied by Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, DCP acting chairman Cleophas Malala, DAP-Kenya’s Eugene Wamalwa, and former Public Service CS Justin Muturi.
Recently, the opposition have been engaging with local communities more, showing they want to challenge the Kenya Kwanza government’s hold on politics.
Gachagua, who has been a strong critic of the current leaders, has already held rallies in significant areas like Meru, Laikipia, Embu, and Tharaka Nithi counties.
Their latest stop was in Narok County, as the opposition works hard to show they can be a real alternative for the country.
With increasing pressure, their visit to the Western region shows not just a charm offensive but also a strategy to strengthen the opposition before the upcoming changes in politics.
