Savula ditches DAP-K for UDA, pledges to deliver 2.6m Western votes

Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula was recently appointed deputy coordinator of President William Ruto’s political activities in western Kenya region. [File, Standard]

Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula has formally defected from DAP-K to UDA, setting off major political realignment in Kakamega County and the wider western Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Savula, who was elected on a coalition arrangement between the DAP-K and ODM, confirmed that he has already registered as a UDA aspirant for the Kakamega governor’s seat and will face-off with Governor Fernandes Barasa (ODM) come 2027 election

The deputy governor, said that he will attend a high-profile meeting for UDA aspirants on Wednesday at State House, Nairobi. 

The meeting will be chaired by President William Ruto and is expected to bring together key aspirants from across the country.

Savula’s defection comes shortly after his appointment as Deputy Coordinator of President Ruto’s political activities in western Kenya region, a role that has placed him at the centre of UDA’s grassroots mobilisation strategy.

The deputy governor explained that the political landscape in Western had fundamentally changed and region no longer has a unifying opposition figure.

“In the absence of Raila Odinga, the Western Kenya community will vote fully for President Ruto. The opposition has no chance of beating Ruto in the next election,” he said.

He welcomed the cooperation between ODM and UDA, saying it provides a framework for leaders to work together across party lines without destabilising governance at the county level.

“Governor Barasa is in ODM and I am joining UDA because ODM and UDA are working together. We are currently negotiating at the national level, and strategically, these arrangements will come down to the county level because we have both national and county governments,” Savula said.

He revealed that discussions on a county-level working arrangement between ODM and UDA in Kakamega would take place after the national negotiations are concluded.

 Savula vowed to spearhead an aggressive voter mobilisation drive in western Kenya, targeting a 2.6 million votes for President Ruto in the 2027 General Election.

The announcement was made at Kakamega Sports Club, where Savula was accompanied by Shinyalu MP Fred Ikana. Ikana, who is also the coordinator of President Ruto’s campaign team in Kakamega County, said a total of 334 aspirants from the county are expected to attend the Wednesday State House meeting.

Ikana noted that UDA has three gubernatorial aspirants in Kakamega, ten senatorial aspirants, six women representative aspirants, and 40 parliamentary aspirants across the county’s 12 constituencies. He added that more than 160 aspirants are competing for MCA seats in the county’s 60 wards.

Savula’s defection is expected to reshape succession politics in Kakamega County and further strengthen UDA’s foothold in western Kenya, while also testing the durability of the evolving political cooperation between UDA and ODM as the 2027 elections draw closer.