Speaking during an interview on a local television station on Tuesday morning, Maanzo argued that several politicians surrounding the President have lost touch with ordinary Kenyans and no longer enjoy the confidence of the voters they represent.
According to the outspoken senator, public dissatisfaction with the current administration is growing, and it is likely to be reflected at the ballot in the next election cycle.
“Most of the people around the President today are disconnected from the wananchi. They are unlikely to be re-elected in 2027 because they no longer have the mandate of the people,” Maanzo said.
His remarks came barely a day after President Ruto chaired a high-level United Democratic Alliance (UDA) National Governing Council (NGC) meeting at State House, Nairobi, where party leaders expressed confidence that he would secure a decisive victory in the next election.
During the meeting, Ruto indicated that he was targeting a landslide win, saying he hoped to beat his rivals by between two and three million votes—far wider than the narrow margin of about 200,000 votes that handed him victory in the 2022 presidential race.
However, Maanzo dismissed the President’s optimism, arguing that political realities on the ground point to a different outcome.
“He is talking about winning by three million votes, but I see the opposite. If elections were held today, he would lose by three million votes because the ground is very hostile to leaders associated with his administration,” the senator claimed.
Maanzo further questioned the credibility of leaders who attended the UDA meeting at State House, saying many of them are facing serious re-election challenges in their constituencies.
“The individuals he met at State House—are they really with the country? Many of them will not survive politically in 2027. The people they represent are unhappy,” he added.
The senator also poured cold water on President Ruto’s apparent efforts to draw the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) into a long-term political arrangement ahead of the next polls.
According to Maanzo, any plan to politically “swallow” ODM is unlikely to succeed.
He argued that ODM remains a grassroots party with a strong identity and that its supporters would resist any move perceived as abandoning the opposition role.
President Ruto, however, has defended the emerging partnership between UDA and ODM, describing it as a necessary step toward political stability and effective governance.
Speaking during the NGC meeting, the Head of State said lessons from last year’s political unrest informed the decision to form a broad-based government, which he said had helped calm tensions and improve service delivery.
“We had challenges, noise, protests and unrest. But in every challenge, there is an opportunity. We decided to create an opportunity out of that situation,” Ruto said.
He noted that the cooperation between UDA and ODM had stabilised the political environment and allowed the government to focus on development and economic recovery.
“Today, we have a broad-based government with our friends in ODM, and we have agreed that this arrangement has worked. If it is working, don’t fix it,” the President stated.
Ruto further revealed that discussions were ongoing between UDA and ODM leadership on the possibility of forming a formal coalition ahead of the 2027 elections, with the aim of avoiding a tightly contested race similar to that of 2022.
Despite the President’s confidence, opposition leaders have continued to express scepticism, citing rising cost of living, governance concerns, and public dissatisfaction as factors that could shape the next electoral contest.
He argued that ODM remains a grassroots party with a strong identity and that its supporters would resist any move perceived as abandoning the opposition role.
President Ruto, however, has defended the emerging partnership between UDA and ODM, describing it as a necessary step toward political stability and effective governance.
Speaking during the NGC meeting, the Head of State said lessons from last year’s political unrest informed the decision to form a broad-based government, which he said had helped calm tensions and improve service delivery.
“We had challenges, noise, protests and unrest. But in every challenge, there is an opportunity. We decided to create an opportunity out of that situation,” Ruto said.
He noted that the cooperation between UDA and ODM had stabilised the political environment and allowed the government to focus on development and economic recovery.
“Today, we have a broad-based government with our friends in ODM, and we have agreed that this arrangement has worked. If it is working, don’t fix it,” the President stated.
Ruto further revealed that discussions were ongoing between UDA and ODM leadership on the possibility of forming a formal coalition ahead of the 2027 elections, with the aim of avoiding a tightly contested race similar to that of 2022.
Despite the President’s confidence, opposition leaders have continued to express scepticism, citing rising cost of living, governance concerns, and public dissatisfaction as factors that could shape the next electoral contest.
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