A string of high-profile defections is exposing the soft underbelly of President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance as Kenya's political class repositions itself ahead of the 2027 general election.

The most prominent departure came on Monday, 2 November, when Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja resigned from the UDA and joined the Orange Democratic Movement. Sakaja, who was elected governor in 2022 on a UDA ticket after defeating Polycarp Igathe, was welcomed into ODM by party leader Oburu Oginga and says he will seek re-election in 2027 on an ODM ticket while continuing to support Ruto's broad-based government.

In Nakuru, Senator Tabitha Karanja Keroche quit the UDA on 9 October for former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's Democracy for the Citizens Party, declaring her intention to challenge Governor Susan Kihika for the county's top seat in 2027. On Wednesday, 4 November, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi announced her removal as Deputy Senate Majority Leader, with nominated Senator Veronica Maina appointed to replace her. The removal was made under Standing Order 22(5) of the Senate Standing Orders, following a resolution of the majority party.

Pressure is also building on UDA loyalists in Nyanza, where the ODM is insisting that zoning is a condition of its support for Ruto's re-election bid. The UDA secretary general in Homa Bay County, Silas Jakakimba, a former aide to the late Raila Odinga, has defected to ODM as he seeks to contest the Suba North parliamentary seat.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has declared that ODM will ensure no other parties compete against it in the region in all elective seats, a position condemned by Homa Bay UDA chairperson Kennedy Obuya, who argues that political competition should be encouraged.

[Source: eastleighvoice.co.ke](https://eastleighvoice.co.ke/news/420623/rutos-uda-loyalists-under-pressure-in-nyanza-as-odm-insists-on-zoning) | [Source: peopledaily.digital](https://peopledaily.digital/inside-politics/tabitha-keroche-removed-as-senate-deputy-majority-leader)