By Alfred Mataza | July 22, 2026
Homa Bay Town Member of Parliament Peter Kaluma has revealed that he advised leaders in the broad-based government to prepare their electoral strategy without relying on votes from the Mt. Kenya region, arguing that successful political planning should always be based on the worst-case scenario.
Speaking about the coalition’s preparations for the 2027 General Election, Kaluma said political strategists should make their electoral projections assuming they will receive no support from the Kikuyu voting bloc before working on how to secure victory through votes from other parts of the country.
“For real politics, you go with the worst-case scenario,” Kaluma said.
The ODM legislator disclosed that during one of the broad-based government’s strategy meetings, he urged fellow leaders to remove the entire Mt. Kenya vote from their electoral calculations in order to develop a more objective and realistic campaign strategy.
“There is a time we were in a discussion group of the broad-based government. I remembered telling the people that for the Kikuyu vote, take out everybody from your electoral projections in terms of numbers, including Ichung’wah, so that we objectively start working on how we get the votes to win,” Kaluma stated.
According to the lawmaker, planning without factoring in Mt. Kenya votes would force the coalition to strengthen its presence in other regions and avoid overreliance on a single voting bloc.
Kaluma argued that political campaigns should be built around realistic projections rather than assumptions, noting that electoral dynamics can change significantly before a general election.
His remarks come amid heightened political activity following the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, which has sparked fresh debate over the political influence of the Mt. Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The MP maintained that a coalition that prepares for the most difficult electoral circumstances stands a better chance of building a stronger and more competitive national campaign.
His comments are expected to generate political debate as parties continue to strategize and realign in preparation for the next General Election, with both the government and the opposition seeking to expand their support bases across the country.
