KENYA · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —The country 47.6 million people at the 2019 census; a US major non-NATO ally.
- —Who governs President William Ruto of UDA, in office since 13 September 2022.
- —What happened Uhuru Kenyatta resigned as opposition council chair, letter dated 5 October.
- —The opposition Kalonzo Musyoka leads the Ukombozi Alliance; Raila Odinga died October 2025.
- —Next vote General election on Tuesday, 10 August 2027, as the constitution requires.
- —Still open No joint opposition presidential candidate named as of October 2026.
A president eligible for a second term, his allies from Raila Odinga’s party and a divided opposition shape Kenya’s 2027 race.
Kenya politics in October 2026 turns on one question: whether President William Ruto wins a second term on 10 August 2027. Power is shared, unevenly, between his executive, a two-chamber Parliament, assertive courts and 47 county governments.
For US readers, Kenya matters as a designated major non-NATO ally and a security partner in East Africa. This guide sets out who holds power as of October 2026, and how the pieces fit together.
How Kenya Politics Works Under the 2010 Constitution
Kenya’s 2010 constitution makes the president both head of state and head of government, and commander-in-chief of the Kenya Defence Forces. There is no prime minister answerable to Parliament.
The cabinet has between 14 and 22 cabinet secretaries, and none of them may sit in Parliament. The president nominates them, and the National Assembly must approve each appointment.
No one may serve more than two terms as president. General elections fall on the second Tuesday in August every fifth year, which puts the next one on 10 August 2027.
Parliament has two chambers. The National Assembly has 290 constituency members, 47 county women representatives and 12 nominated members, plus the Speaker.
The Senate has 47 elected senators, one per county, plus 16 nominated women and four members for youth and people with disabilities. Its job is to protect county interests, and it decides how national revenue is split among counties.
The 47 counties each elect a governor and an assembly. They run devolved services such as county health facilities, ambulances and county roads, which gives governors real budgets.
The wider background on the country, its economy and its regions is in the Rio Times guide Kenya Explained.
President William Ruto and His Executive
William Ruto was sworn in as president on Tuesday, 13 September 2022. He won the election of 9 August that year on the ticket of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), his party.
He had been deputy president from 2013 to 2022, under Uhuru Kenyatta. His main rival in 2022 was Raila Odinga, whom Ruto later called a friend and political mentor.
Born in 1966 in Uasin Gishu County, Ruto is eligible for a second and final term. His career is set out in the Rio Times profile of William Ruto.
Kithure Kindiki is deputy president and deputy leader of UDA, according to State House and the party. He was interior minister in the cabinet sworn in on 8 August 2024, before replacing Rigathi Gachagua as deputy.
Musalia Mudavadi holds two posts: Prime Cabinet Secretary, who coordinates ministries, and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs. The prime cabinet secretary’s post does not appear in the constitution, and the president assigns its duties.
Other key ministers include John Mbadi at the National Treasury, Kipchumba Murkomen at Interior and Soipan Tuya at Defence. Dorcas Oduor is Attorney-General, the government’s chief legal adviser and a member of the cabinet.
The ministers who run the money and the state companies are profiled in Who Runs Kenya’s Economy, the Key Players in 2026.
UDA, ODM and the Broad-Based Government
UDA receives the largest share of state money for parties. The Political Parties Fund allocates it KSh 549.97 million (about US$4.2 million) for the 2026/27 financial year.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), long led by Raila Odinga, is second with KSh 293.78 million (about US$2.3 million). Forty-eight parties qualify for the fund, the Registrar of Political Parties says.
Since 2024, ODM has backed what Ruto calls the broad-based government. State House says ODM members were appointed to the cabinet and other senior posts after Ruto reached out to Odinga.
ODM is now led by Oburu Oginga, the senator for Siaya County and Odinga’s elder brother, the party says. Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga is its national chairperson.
The party’s website lists Catherine Omanyo as acting secretary-general and one deputy-leader post as vacant. Several ODM politicians have left for a new movement led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Capital FM reports.
In the National Assembly, Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah of UDA steers government business. In a debate on 1 October 2026, a UDA member said he would defend his seat “under this broad-based government”.
Ruto told UDA grassroots leaders in January 2026 that the party was building friendships with other parties before the 2027 election. UDA held polling-centre elections for its officials in the first half of 2026, its website shows.
At State House on 4 August 2026, ODM leader Oburu Oginga praised Ruto’s administration. At the same event, Mudavadi urged village elders to help Ruto win the next election “by a landslide”.
The Opposition After Raila Odinga
Raila Odinga, a former prime minister, died in India on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, aged 80. He was buried at his family’s home in Bondo, Siaya County, four days later, with Ruto leading the mourners.
How Kenya plans to honour him is covered in the Rio Times report on Odinga’s legacy.
His old coalition, Azimio la Umoja, has rebranded as The Ukombozi Alliance, Kenyans.co.ke reports; “ukombozi” is Swahili for liberation. Former vice-president Kalonzo Musyoka, who leads the Wiper party, is its party leader.
Martha Karua, leader of the People’s Liberation Party, is deputy coalition leader. Wiper, now registered as the Wiper Patriotic Front, gets KSh 68.82 million (about US$0.5 million) from the party fund.
Uhuru Kenyatta, president from 2013 to 2022, chaired the coalition council until he resigned with immediate effect. His letter is dated Monday, 5 October 2026, and became public two days later.
On Tuesday, 22 September 2026, Kenyatta had handed the Jubilee Party leadership to former interior minister Fred Matiang’i. Party delegates still have to approve the change.
Jubilee gets KSh 128.86 million (about US$1.0 million) from the party fund.
The details are in the Rio Times report on Kenyatta’s resignation as coalition chair. Rigathi Gachagua has been proposed to succeed him as council chair, with Siaya Governor James Orengo as possible co-chair, Kenyans.co.ke reports.
Gachagua, removed as deputy president in 2024, leads the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), a fully registered party. The battle for the central Mount Kenya vote is examined in the Rio Times analysis of Kindiki’s rise.
Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi Movement, roughly “protect the citizen” in Swahili, has taken over a registered party, The Equitable Party (TEP). TEP’s executive has approved renaming the party after the movement, Capital FM reported on 8 October 2026.
Among the rising figures, Sifuna is building his own vehicle, while Matiang’i now runs Jubilee, a member of the old Azimio coalition. Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi is among politicians who have broken ranks with ODM to join Sifuna, Capital FM reports.
Parliament, the Courts and the Limits on Power
Moses Wetang’ula is Speaker of the National Assembly and Amason Kingi is Speaker of the Senate, Parliament’s website shows. The Senate also tries impeachments of a president or deputy president.
That power was used in 2024, when the National Assembly impeached Deputy President Gachagua. On Thursday, 17 October 2024, the Senate upheld five of the 11 charges, Business Daily reported.
On 1 October 2026, MPs debated the Elections (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill, a consensus bill from a 2023 cross-party dialogue. It aims to align election law with court rulings before the 2027 vote.
The courts are a real check in Kenya politics. On Friday, 1 September 2017, the Supreme Court nullified that year’s presidential election result and ordered a new vote within 60 days.
Chief Justice Martha Koome is also President of the Supreme Court, and Philomena Mwilu is Deputy Chief Justice. Both appeared with Ruto at the swearing-in of a new Supreme Court judge in May 2026.
Ruto has openly criticised some rulings. On 28 January 2026 he spoke of decisions that “seemed to cross into the realm of judicial overreach, or even tyranny”.
He added that disagreeing with court decisions does not mean contempt for the courts. He said he would ask a court to clarify the legal weight of a ruling party’s manifesto.
The Judiciary has asked for KSh 50.7 billion (about US$390 million) for 2027/28, partly to handle election disputes. Chief Registrar Winfridah Mokaya made the case at a public budget hearing in Kajiado on 29 September 2026.
Governors and the 47 Counties
Each county governor may serve two terms, like the president. Governors act together through the Council of Governors, set up under a 2012 law on relations between national and county governments.
The council bargains on behalf of counties. In September 2026 it signed a return-to-work deal that ended a 41-day nationwide strike by nurses and midwives.
Several governors carry national weight. Homa Bay’s Gladys Wanga chairs ODM, and Mombasa’s Abdulswamad Nassir is one of its deputy party leaders.
Siaya Governor James Orengo has been discussed for a senior post in the Ukombozi Alliance. Governorships in all 47 counties are on the ballot on 10 August 2027.
Security Forces and Who Commands Them
The Kenya Defence Forces comprise the army, air force and navy, under the president as commander-in-chief. The constitution allows their deployment against unrest at home only with the National Assembly’s approval.
General Charles Kahariri has been Chief of the Defence Forces since his swearing-in at State House in May 2024. Soipan Tuya is the Cabinet Secretary for Defence, the Ministry of Defence lists.
The National Police Service is commanded by an Inspector-General, appointed by the president with Parliament’s approval. The interior minister may give written policy directions, but no one may order the police on individual cases.
Policing is politically sensitive before an election. On 30 September 2026, ODM MP Millie Odhiambo told the House that unchecked disruption of public events would bring “extremely violent elections”.
The Road to the 10 August 2027 Election
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), chaired by Erastus Edung Ethekon, runs the vote. It published the election calendar in the Kenya Gazette on Thursday, 20 August 2026, Kenyans.co.ke and Capital FM reported.
On one day, voters will elect a president, senators, MPs, county women representatives, governors and county assembly members. The existing 290 constituencies and 1,450 wards stay, because a full boundary review could not be finished in time.
The key dates in the IEBC notices are:
- Thursday, 15 October 2026: parties submit the names of their authorised persons to the IEBC.
- Wednesday, 9 December 2026: fundraising by aspirants, including harambees, or community fundraisers, is prohibited.
- Wednesday, 10 February 2027: public officers who want to run must resign.
- Saturday, 8 May 2027: party primaries and internal disputes must be finished.
- Monday, 24 May 2027: presidential aspirants submit signatures from at least 2,000 voters across a majority of counties.
- 29 May to 11 June 2027: the IEBC registers candidates; presidential nominations close on 11 June.
- Saturday, 7 August 2027: campaigning ends, three days before polling.
The IEBC has resumed continuous voter registration, its website says. Its preparations are followed in Rio Times coverage of the IEBC.
Daily developments are collected on the Rio Times Kenya news page.
What It Means for US Readers
Washington designated Kenya a major non-NATO ally in a presidential determination signed on 24 June 2024, the Federal Register shows. That followed Ruto’s state visit to the White House in May 2024.
The US Senate confirmed career diplomat Henry Wooster as ambassador to Kenya on Wednesday, 30 September 2026, Capital FM reported. At his hearing, he said Washington was “not picking sides in the election”.
Wooster also highlighted Kenya’s deployment of police officers to the multinational security mission in Haiti. Kenya’s wider ties with Washington and Beijing are covered in Kenya Geopolitics Explained.
For investors, Kenya politics and the election calendar are a risk to watch. The Central Bank of Kenya held its benchmark rate at 8.75% on 7 October 2026, with inflation at 6.8% in September.
The State Department rates Kenya at Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, in an advisory issued on 28 July 2026. Some areas, including counties bordering Somalia and Nairobi’s Eastleigh and Kibera, are Level 4, “Do Not Travel”.
Conversions in this guide use the Central Bank of Kenya rate of KSh 129.94 per US$1, shown on 8 October 2026.
What Is Not Known
The Ukombozi Alliance has not named a presidential candidate or a successor to Kenyatta as council chair. It is unclear whether Gachagua’s DCP or Sifuna’s movement will back a single opposition ticket.
One upheld charge against Gachagua cited Article 75, the integrity clause, which bars anyone removed for breaching it from other state office. Whether that affects a 2027 bid would be for the IEBC and the courts to decide.
Two High Court rulings in September 2026 took different positions on a law barring retired presidents from party office, Kenyans.co.ke reported. It is not known whether either will be appealed.
The Registrar has reserved the Linda Mwananchi name for at most 90 days, and TEP’s change of name is not complete. ODM’s next permanent secretary-general has not been named.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the president of Kenya in 2026?
William Ruto of the United Democratic Alliance has been president since 13 September 2022. His deputy is Kithure Kindiki.
When is Kenya’s next election?
The general election is on Tuesday, 10 August 2027. Voters choose the president, Parliament, governors and county assemblies on the same day.
Who leads the opposition in Kenya?
Former vice-president Kalonzo Musyoka leads The Ukombozi Alliance, the renamed Azimio coalition. Rigathi Gachagua’s DCP and Edwin Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi Movement organise separately.
Is ODM part of the government?
ODM backs Ruto’s broad-based government, and State House says its members hold cabinet and other senior posts. Oburu Oginga, Raila Odinga’s elder brother, leads the party.
Why was Rigathi Gachagua removed?
The National Assembly impeached him as deputy president in October 2024, and the Senate upheld five of the 11 charges. He now leads the opposition DCP.
What happened to Raila Odinga?
The former prime minister died in India on 15 October 2025, aged 80. He was buried at his family’s home in Bondo, Siaya County.
Why does Kenya matter to the United States?
Kenya is a designated major non-NATO ally and a regional security partner. Henry Wooster, confirmed as the next US ambassador, says Washington will not pick sides in 2027.
Sources: State House Kenya, the Cabinet; State House, Office of the President; State House, Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary; State House, cabinet sworn in on 8 August 2024; State House, new KDF command, May 2024; State House, Raila Odinga’s burial; State House, Ruto to UDA leaders, January 2026; State House, remarks on the courts, 28 January 2026; Constitution of Kenya, 2010; Parliament of Kenya; National Assembly, Majority Leader; National Assembly Hansard, 1 October 2026; National Assembly Hansard, 30 September 2026; Judiciary, Supreme Court swearing-in, May 2026; Judiciary, 2027/28 budget hearing; Judiciary, 2017 presidential petition; Ministry of Defence; Registrar of Political Parties, Political Parties Fund 2026/27; Registrar of Political Parties, registered parties; IEBC; ODM, leadership; UDA; Council of Governors, nurses’ strike; Council of Governors, committee leaders; KNBS, 2019 census; Central Bank of Kenya; Federal Register, Kenya as a major non-NATO ally; US State Department, Kenya travel advisory; Kenyans.co.ke, IEBC dates; Capital FM, IEBC election notice; Kenyans.co.ke, Kenyatta’s resignation; Kenyans.co.ke, Jubilee handover; Capital FM, Linda Mwananchi and TEP; Capital FM, Wooster confirmation; Business Daily, Senate vote on Gachagua (all accessed 8 October 2026).
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