After claiming that President William Ruto would get four million votes from the Luo people in the 2027 General Election, Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma sparked intense controversy.
The lawmaker made the claim in a social media post, which caused many Kenyans to respond, many of whom questioned his statements’ veracity and motivation.
The Luo Community will cast four million votes for President Ruto in 2027, according to Kaluma’s writing.
Critics of the claim noted that the community had never before collected such a consolidated vote total, even for the late ODM leader Raila Odinga, who is from the area and has been its political mascot for decades; this fact shocked many.
“Which four million did you not even give your own son, Raila?” one Kenyan said angrily.
Someone else said, “Careless statement.” “Nobody commands other people’s votes,” the remark emphasised, drawing attention to the doubt and anger it caused.
In the 2022 presidential election, Raila Odinga received 6,942,930 votes, or 48.85 per cent of the total, while Ruto received 7,176,141 votes, according to official data.
In the key counties of Luo Nyanza, which include Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, and Migori, Raila garnered almost 1.48 million votes, according to the IEBC tallies.
With 419,997 votes, Kisumu emerged victorious, with 371,092 cast in Homa Bay and 294,136 in Migori.
Kaluma predicts that Ruto will get four million votes, which is approximately three times more than the area gave to Raila in 2022. This raises concerns about the rapidity with which the region’s political leanings might change in the span of a single election cycle.
However, the lawmaker has since established himself as a leading voice in calling on ODM to reconsider their political approach in light of the next election.
The party, he says, has to stop being so combative and start putting development and regional concerns first; therefore, he keeps urging ODM to think about collaborating with Ruto.
Kaluma claims that the region’s bargaining leverage in national politics may be strengthened and projects that have been stalled might be unlocked by uniting with the Kenya Kwanza government.
He disagrees with many long-time ODM supporters on the idea that the Nyanza area may profit more from cooperation than competition.
The Opposition are divided on his views; some see his remarks as part of a larger movement for political détente, while others see him as an independent thinker.
If ODM does not change with the times, says Kaluma, it will be politically isolated. He also says that ODM supporters shouldn’t be cut off from government programmes just because they disagree with the party’s policies.
Parties and leaders are having internal debates about how to position themselves for 2027, and his stance, however controversial, highlights this.
