"Siasa ni numbers": Mudavadi returns to Western, launches new tutam lobby group

This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.

- Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has launched the Magaribi Movement Initiative, a Western Kenya lobby group expected to mobilise support for President William Ruto ahead of the 2027 election

- Mudavadi said the movement would go beyond politics by championing the welfare and development of Western Kenya

- Western Kenya had about 2.9 million registered voters by July 2026 against a projected target of 3.4 million

TUKO.co.ke journalist Harry Ivan Mboto has five years of experience reporting on politics and current affairs in Kenya

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has launched the Magharibi Movement Initiative, a lobby group seeking to mobilise Western Kenya around President William Ruto's administration while pushing for increased voter registration ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Mudavadi launched the initiative at Kakamega School on Saturday, bringing together political and community leaders from the Western region.

While the movement is expected to support Ruto's re-election bid, Mudavadi said its agenda extends beyond the 2027 polls and will focus on the broader welfare and development of the region.

“This is not just a political movement. It is a lobby group about the welfare and wellbeing of our community,” Mudavadi said.

Details of Magharibi Movement Initiative

Mudavadi said the group would not limit its activities to the electoral cycle, arguing that the needs of Western Kenya residents go beyond elections.

He acknowledged that the movement has a political objective ahead of the 2027 General Election but said its long-term focus would be on issues affecting the community.

“True, there is a target for 2027, but we want to go beyond that,” he said.

The prime Cabinet secretary said the initiative would provide a platform through which residents could engage on development, political representation and other issues affecting the region.

Why is Mudavadi pushing voter registration?

A major focus of the Magharibi Movement will be increasing the number of registered voters in Western Kenya.

Mudavadi argued that political influence is ultimately determined by the number of people who register, turn up at polling stations and cast their ballots.

He said the movement would work with officials from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) during political and community gatherings to encourage eligible residents to register.

“Elections are all about numbers. At all our political gatherings, we want to liaise with IEBC officials so that they can be there to register voters because we want to promote enhanced voter registration,” he said.

Mudavadi warned supporters against relying on political slogans, insisting that actual votes, rather than rally attendance or campaign rhetoric, determine election outcomes.

“Elections shall not be won by slogans. Slogans do not vote and do not win elections. It is all about going to the polling station and casting the ballot paper into that ballot box. That is a target that we must achieve,” he said.

How many voters does Western Kenya have?

Mudavadi said Western Kenya had about 2.6 million registered voters in the 2022 General Election.

He said IEBC projections showed that the region had increased its registered voters to approximately 2.9 million by July 2026, representing an increase of about 300,000 voters.

However, the figure remains below the region's projected target of 3.4 million registered voters.

Mudavadi challenged members of the movement to begin the voter registration campaign within their own families by identifying eligible young people who have obtained national identification cards but have not registered as voters.

“In this lobby group, one of our missions is to find, starting from your own house, how many of your children who have ID cards and have not yet registered to vote in 2027. Let us start there, then move forward,” he said.

“We are not doing well in voter registration compared to other regions.”

The launch came a day after Mudavadi met the four governors from Western Kenya, with the leaders agreeing to work together and pursue common interests affecting the region.

Source: TUKO.co.ke

Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.