Luhya Leaders Push Oparanya as Ruto’s 2027 Running Mate
The battle over who deputises President William Ruto in 2027 has a new voice. Khwisero MP Christopher Aseka is pushing Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya as ODM’s pick for the running mate slot, arguing the party’s cooperation with UDA should be rewarded with the deputy presidency.
His remarks add to a growing Western Kenya campaign, even as the region itself remains split on who should get the job.
What Aseka said
Speaking Saturday, July 11, at an ODM function in Vihiga, Aseka argued that ODM has earned a seat at the executive table and that Oparanya, a former two-term Kakamega governor and a longtime ally of the late Raila Odinga, is the party’s strongest option. He framed the arrangement in simple terms: UDA keeps the presidential ticket, ODM gets the deputy slot.
He also pushed back on hesitation within his own community, pointing out that ODM strongholds in Nyanza and the Coast have already lined up behind Oparanya and asking why Western Kenya leaders would hold back on one of their own.
Oparanya is far from the only name in the running. Other ODM figures floated for the position include Mining CS Hassan Joho, deputy party leader Oburu Oginga, and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, while a separate bloc of Western Kenya leaders backs National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula instead.
Complicating matters further, Ruto has repeatedly signalled he’d prefer to keep current Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on the ticket, meaning any ODM push for the slot would require Kindiki to step aside. Formal coalition talks between ODM and UDA on how positions will be shared have not yet begun.
The running mate question has become one of the clearest tests of how much real power ODM gets in exchange for backing Ruto’s re-election, and whether Western Kenya can present a united front will shape how much leverage the region carries at the negotiating table.
With talks still pending and multiple camps competing for the same slot, nothing here is settled yet.
