BY VINCENT MANAL
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Dr. Musalia Mudavadi has challenged residents of Vihiga County to reject what he termed the politics of betrayal, division and personal ambition.
Dr. Mudavadi urged them to embrace political leadership anchored on loyalty, responsibility and national interest.
Speaking during a series of engagements across Vihiga County on Saturday, Dr. Mudavadi said the country’s political discourse should move beyond personal rivalries and focus on development, stability and improving the lives of ordinary Kenyans.
He cited the political developments surrounding the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), saying the party and its late leader, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, had spent decades championing democracy, constitutional reforms, social justice and political inclusion.
Mudavadi said it was unfortunate that some politicians who had benefited from Raila’s political leadership had subsequently turned against the party and its established political structures.
He said he had similarly played a role in nurturing some of the region’s current political leaders, only for some of them to later turn against him.
“I also nurtured some of them in politics, and today they call me names,” Mudavadi said, warning politicians against abandoning principles for political expediency.
He said political loyalty and responsibility should remain central to Kenya’s democratic development, arguing that leadership should not be reduced to personal political survival.
Broad-based Government
Mudavadi defended the Government’s broad-based approach, saying the arrangement was designed to place national interests above political hostility.
He said Kenya could not make meaningful progress if political competition was allowed to take precedence over the welfare of citizens.
“The politics of this country must ultimately be about the people. We cannot develop Kenya when political competition becomes more important than the welfare of our citizens,” he said.
Mudavadi urged residents to assess political leaders by their ability to deliver development, create opportunities and improve public services rather than by rhetoric and political confrontation.
He said the Government was focused on taking services closer to citizens, particularly through investments at the grassroots.
Shaviringa Huduma Centre
Mudavadi made the remarks after inspecting the ongoing Shaviringa Huduma Centre project in Vihiga County, where he said the facility would help bring essential Government services closer to wananchi.
He said access to public services was one of the clearest measures of effective governance and that such investments were intended to make Government more accessible, efficient and responsive.
“Such investments are not just about buildings; they are about improving the daily lives of citizens by making services more accessible, efficient and convenient,” he said.
The PCS said the project demonstrated the Government’s commitment to strengthening citizen-centred service delivery and ensuring that public services were available where they were needed most.
He commended the stakeholders involved in the project, including Principal Secretary, State Department for Public Service and Human Capital Development Prof. Jane Kere Imbunya; Huduma Kenya Secretariat Chief Executive Officer CPA Ben Kai Chilumo; Vihiga Woman Representative Hon. Beatrice Kahai Adagala; Hamisi MP Hon. Charles Gimose; UDA leaders; officials from the Kenya School of Government; local leaders and other stakeholders.
Mudavadi urges mass voter registration
Mudavadi also called on young people in Vihiga to register as voters in large numbers ahead of the 2027 General Election.
He said more than 200,000 eligible people in the county had yet to register as voters, urging them to take advantage of the ongoing registration opportunities.
“Take your time now and register now. We want President William Ruto to get over 500,000 votes in Vihiga County,” Mudavadi said.
He further cautioned Vihiga residents living and working in other parts of the country against waiting until election time to travel back home to vote.
“If you live in Mombasa, it will be expensive to travel all the way to Vihiga County to vote. Therefore, register from where you are,” he said.
Mudavadi said voter registration should reflect where people actually live and work, noting that this would make it easier for them to exercise their constitutional right to vote.
UDA, ODM have national structures
The PCS also urged voters to consider parties with established national structures as they make political choices ahead of the 2027 elections.
He said UDA and ODM had structures spread across the country, giving them an advantage over what he described as emerging parties that were yet to establish a comparable nationwide presence.
“This other parties that are mushrooming everywhere, when will they have structures? That cuts across the country from Lokichogio to Kwale, or from Murang’a to Busia,” he said.
Mudavadi said strong political structures were important in mobilising voters, coordinating political activity and ensuring that parties remained connected to citizens across the country.
Ruto 2027
Turning to the 2027 presidential contest, Mudavadi expressed confidence that President William Ruto would secure a decisive victory, challenging the opposition to prepare for a highly competitive election.
He said the President’s re-election campaign would be anchored on the Government’s development record and its efforts to improve service delivery across the country.
Mudavadi urged Vihiga residents to weigh the competing political messages against the tangible development taking place in their communities.
Church urged to shape political direction
Mudavadi also challenged the church to play a constructive role in shaping the political direction of the country.
He said churches remained influential institutions in Kenyan society and should help congregants make informed choices based on the kind of country they want to build.
He challenged religious leaders and their congregations to choose between politics of division and a development-oriented national agenda.
“Do you want tribalism? Do you want politics of division? Or do you want development and a better future?” he posed.
Mudavadi said the church should help Kenyans look beyond ethnic and political divisions and focus on issues that directly affect their livelihoods, including development, public services, employment and national cohesion.
He said Kenya’s political future should be defined by responsible leadership, national unity and development rather than political hostility.
The PCS’s Vihiga engagements brought together political, religious and community leaders as he continued his grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 General Election, while underscoring the Government’s push to bring public services and development closer to citizens.
