Mudavadi: 'Leadership of a country not a game of chance'

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi. [Courtesy]

Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has questioned how emerging political parties will develop the structures and policies needed to compete in the 2027 General Election, warning against gambling with national leadership.

Mudavadi challenged politicians forming or joining new political outfits to explain how they would build credible organisations capable of competing nationally with established parties.

“Leadership of the nation is not a game of chance,” Mudavadi told worshippers during an Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) service in Nandi County on Sunday, October 18.

He questioned where the parties would obtain their policies, structures and organisational frameworks, arguing that national leadership requires preparation rather than last-minute political arrangements.

“Let us not accept a gamble. No one will be parachuted into leadership. We want solid leadership,” he added.

His remarks come amid a flurry of political realignments as politicians seek party platforms ahead of the next election.

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna was unveiled as the preferred presidential candidate of The Equitable Party on October 4, with allies urging him to build the outfit into a national political organisation.

Former Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo’s People’s Prosperity Party also secured full registration on October 16, clearing a key hurdle in its preparations to field candidates in the 2027 elections. The party says it has established structures in 30 counties.

The developments come as political parties face statutory requirements and deadlines ahead of the election, including rules governing party nominations and the submission of authorised officials’ details to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Mudavadi has previously questioned whether emerging opposition formations can build a national network in the time remaining before the election.

In September, he challenged opposition leaders to explain how they would establish structures across the country, contrasting their efforts with established parties such as the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), which has built networks over several election cycles.