Homa Bay Governor and ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga has led a group of ODM leaders in calling on residents of Kisumu and the wider Nyanza region to support President William Ruto's bid for a second term in the 2027 General Election.

The leaders made the appeal on Sunday during a fundraising event at St. Francis Catholic Church Rangenya in Kisumu County, where they defended their decision to work with the Kenya Kwanza administration and urged residents to maintain the political partnership.

Wanga said the decision to support Ruto was largely influenced by what she and other leaders described as increased government attention to development projects across the region. She argued that the current administration had demonstrated a willingness to extend infrastructure and other development programmes to areas that they believe had previously received less attention.

In her address, Wanga criticised leaders in the opposition, arguing that the group lacks a clear political programme and a defined agenda for the country.

According to Wanga, the ODM leaders supporting Ruto are doing so because they believe continued cooperation with the national government will enable the region to benefit from ongoing and planned development initiatives.

“The other group has no agenda, has no plan,” Wanga said, explaining that the leaders had chosen to support Ruto because, in their view, he had stood with the region and development projects were now being implemented.

The remarks come at a time when Kenya's political landscape is undergoing significant realignment ahead of the 2027 General Election. ODM has maintained its cooperation with the Ruto administration, while another section of political leaders has pursued a different political direction.

The ODM-Ruto relationship has increasingly become a central issue in Nyanza politics, particularly as leaders seek to convince residents about the political path the region should take going into the next election. Earlier in September, Wanga publicly maintained that the party's broad-based government arrangement had the backing of a large section of ODM leaders.

The Kisumu event therefore provided another platform for leaders allied to the arrangement to explain their position to residents. Wanga and her colleagues urged the people of Kisumu and the wider Luo Nyanza region to remain supportive of President Ruto, saying they considered continued cooperation with his administration important for the region's development.

The leaders pointed to projects and government programmes being implemented in Nyanza as evidence of what they described as a changing relationship between the region and the national government.

President Ruto's administration has in recent months highlighted investments in roads, electricity connectivity, healthcare, markets and other infrastructure across Nyanza. During his September tour of the region, government officials and local leaders repeatedly highlighted these projects while seeking support for the administration's development agenda.

The political shift has attracted considerable attention because Nyanza, and particularly Kisumu, has historically been an important political base for ODM and the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. The current cooperation between ODM leaders and the Ruto administration has consequently altered political alliances in the region.

Wanga has argued that the partnership should be judged by its ability to deliver development and opportunities to residents rather than solely through traditional political alignments.

Her latest remarks also come against the backdrop of growing competition among political groups seeking to establish influence in Nyanza ahead of the 2027 polls. Different leaders have been holding meetings and public events as they seek to define their positions and mobilise support.

For the ODM leaders backing Ruto, the message remains that the region should continue working with the national government to secure development projects and government support.

The leaders at Rangenya also urged residents to look at the tangible projects being undertaken in their communities as they assess the government's record. They maintained that political cooperation should be based on the interests of residents and the development needs of the region.

Wanga's position is consistent with statements she has made during recent political engagements in Nyanza. Earlier this month, she said ODM would continue participating in negotiations with the government over the future political arrangement, while maintaining that the party's position was supported by a significant section of its elected leadership.

The ODM chairperson has also criticised leaders seeking to establish alternative alliances involving figures outside the current broad-based government arrangement. She has maintained that ODM should determine its political direction internally rather than have that direction dictated by external political actors.

The debate is expected to remain a major feature of political discussions in Nyanza as the country moves closer to the 2027 General Election.

For residents, the competing political positions present different arguments about development, representation, government participation and the future leadership of the country. ODM leaders supporting Ruto are emphasising the projects they say have been delivered under the current administration, while opposition figures continue to advocate for an alternative political direction.

At Rangenya, however, Wanga's message was clear: the ODM leaders present want residents of Kisumu and the wider Nyanza region to support President Ruto's re-election bid.

The fundraising event thus combined a church-based community activity with a broader political message, giving the leaders an opportunity to defend their cooperation with the government while urging residents to back the political arrangement ahead of the 2027 election.

As political activity intensifies across the country, the position taken by ODM leaders in Nyanza is likely to remain an important part of the wider national political debate. The region's political direction will continue to attract attention as parties and leaders organise themselves and engage voters ahead of the next General Election.

For now, Wanga and the ODM leaders supporting the broad-based government are maintaining that their priority is development and that continued cooperation with President William Ruto offers a platform through which they believe the region can pursue its development priorities.

The leaders have consequently intensified their message to residents, urging them to consider the government's development record as they assess the political choices available to them ahead of 2027.