By Kepher Otieno - Reporter
Kenya, 16 August 2026 - President William Ruto’s bid for a second term received a fresh political lift in Kisumu as senior ODM leaders openly rallied behind him while simultaneously calling for peaceful, issue-based campaigns ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The message was striking.
In a region long associated with opposition politics, ODM leaders used a major church gathering to reinforce their embrace of the Ruto presidency — and to warn political rivals against provocative rallies, inflammatory rhetoric and violence.
Kisumu Deputy Governor Dr Mathews Owili rooted for Ruto to serve a second term, calling for peace and tranquillity to prevail across the country.
Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi was equally emphatic.
He backed Ruto’s re-election and told ODM supporters not to be swayed away from the political direction they had chosen.
The two leaders’ interventions reinforced the growing political realignment in Nyanza following Raila Odinga’s death and the continuation of the Broad-Based Government arrangement between ODM and Ruto’s administration.
ODM chairperson Gladys Wanga framed the alliance as a political reality that should not be mistaken for temporary convenience.
She called for restraint and political civility as the 2027 race gathers momentum.
The leaders spoke during the 70th anniversary celebrations of the Voice of Salvation Church at the packed Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Mamboleo, Kisumu County.
The religious occasion quickly became a window into the emerging politics of Nyanza.
Wanga urged politicians and their supporters to resist provocation and embrace dialogue, reason and logic over confrontation.
She said political competition should not become a licence for violence or division.
Wandayi sharpened the message.
He urged political rivals to stop provocative rallies and challenged leaders to conduct campaigns that do not threaten Kenya’s peace or undermine investor confidence.
Kenya, he said, was looking for better times.
That argument places economic stability at the centre of the 2027 political debate.
A peaceful campaign environment, the leaders argued, is not simply a democratic obligation. It is also an economic necessity.
Political violence scares away investment.
Political instability disrupts businesses.
And inflammatory campaigns can quickly turn electoral competition into communal confrontation.
Kisumu West MP Rosa Buyu added another dimension to the gathering when she formally declared her bid for the Kisumu governor’s seat.
Buyu confronted what she described as attempts to ridicule her ambition because she is a woman.
“Some people have mocked me, ridiculed me, looked down upon me as a woman seeking to be governor. But I am not cowed. I am strong and perching on the Lord to anoint me, and I am glad thousands here are ready to put me on the throne,” she said.
Her declaration transformed the church anniversary into an early political launchpad.
Buyu also threw her weight behind Ruto’s two-term bid, aligning her gubernatorial ambitions with the broader political message coming from the ODM leadership.
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She donated Sh350,000 to the church.
Wanga contributed Sh300,000, while Wandayi gave Sh500,000. Ruto donated Sh2 million.
Owili, meanwhile, said he had made an undisclosed contribution to the church.
The generosity added a political undertone to an already highly charged gathering.
Owili and Buyu both used the occasion to cultivate support for their respective gubernatorial ambitions, signalling that the Kisumu succession battle is already moving beyond private calculations.
Yet the dominant theme remained peace.
The leaders urged Kenyans to resist extreme provocation and avoid turning political disagreements into personal or communal conflicts.
They argued that democracy allows competing ideas without requiring enemies.
The appeal comes as politicians across the country begin positioning themselves for 2027.
The stakes are rising.
So are the political temperatures.
The leaders therefore urged politicians to moderate their language and conduct, warning that inflammatory rhetoric can mobilise supporters faster than reason can calm them.
They called for issue-based campaigns centred on development, jobs, investment and the welfare of citizens.
They also urged political actors to embrace dialogue and respect divergent views.
For ODM, however, the peace message is unfolding alongside a dramatic political calculation.
The party is increasingly presenting its partnership with Ruto as a vehicle for stability and continued influence.
Wandayi and Owili’s open endorsement of Ruto’s second-term bid therefore carries significance beyond the church podium.
It signals that the Ruto-ODM political marriage is gaining visible traction among sections of Nyanza leadership.
But the coming campaign will test whether that alliance can hold against competing political interests.
The leaders appeared determined to send one message: political battles can be fierce without becoming violent.
Ruto’s second-term campaign may already be taking shape in Nyanza.
But so, too, is the contest over who will inherit Kisumu’s political crown.
The two battles will now unfold side by side.
And the church gathering offered an early glimpse of how they could intersect.
Ruto’s Two-Term Bid Gets Fresh Lift in Kisumu as ODM Leaders Preach Peace
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