Luo elders adopt Sakaja, endorse his 2027 re-election bid

The elders, led by Ker Randa, bestowed upon Sakaja the name Ochieng Ondugi Randa, welcoming him as an adopted son of the Luo community and offering their blessings as he seeks a second term as Nairobi Governor in the 2027 General Election.

During the meeting, Ker Randa urged members of the Luo community to support Sakaja's re-election bid, citing his close political association with the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

“If you loved Baba Raila, vote for Ochieng Sakaja, because Baba Raila was with him,” Ker Randa said.

Sakaja visited Kisumu following an invitation extended to him by the elders during the burial of the late former Homa Bay Senator Otieno Kajwang's wife.

He was accompanied by members of his County Executive Committee and several Members of the Nairobi County Assembly.

The visit comes barely a week after Sakaja joined the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), having previously been elected governor on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket, in a move seen as part of his efforts to consolidate political support ahead of the 2027 elections.

Defending his decision to join ODM, Sakaja maintained that the political shift did not amount to abandoning the existing national political arrangement, noting that both ODM and UDA are part of the broad-based government.

“ODM and UDA are in the broad-based government. Our presidential candidate is one, William Ruto. Moving from UDA to ODM is just changing rooms in the same house,” he said.

Earlier, Sakaja paid a courtesy call on Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o, who described the engagement as historic, noting that it was the first time a sitting Nairobi Governor had paid him a courtesy visit in Kisumu.

The Governor's engagement with Luo leadership follows his recent meeting with ODM party leader Oburu Oginga, who blessed his entry into the party, and a subsequent visit to Ambassador Mama Ida Odinga.

During the Kisumu meeting, Ker Randa and other elders welcomed and blessed Sakaja, with the cultural leader pledging to lead a delegation to visit the Governor in Nairobi in the coming days.

The latest engagements underscore Sakaja's growing political outreach within the Luo community following his entry into ODM, as he seeks to strengthen his political support base ahead of the 2027 Nairobi gubernatorial contest.