Kakamega deputy governor Ayub Savul la (centre) with other leaders during an event in Vihiga on July 3, 2026/COURTESY
Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula has declared that the Mulembe nation should begin preparing to produce a presidential candidate for the 2032 General Election.
He said the community is no longer interested in settling for deputy positions in national politics.
Speaking during an engagement with boda boda leaders in Vihiga County attended by Internal Security Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, Savula said leaders from the region had agreed to support President William Ruto until the end of his tenure before rallying behind a presidential bid from the Western region.
“Our vision for 2032 is clear. As the Mulembe community, we are no longer interested in playing second fiddle or chasing deputy positions. Our goal is to fully support William Ruto until 2032, after which our community will produce the next president to lead this nation,” Savula said.
He added that leaders from the region had reached a common position on the matter and called for early preparations ahead of the next electoral cycle.
“By May 29 next year, we must have a presidential candidate on the table. That is the direction we have agreed on and the path we are taking as a community,” he said.
The deputy governor also challenged residents of Vihiga to assess the credentials of leaders who have been touted as potential presidential contenders, including Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, Fred Matiang'i, Martha Karua and Edwin Sifuna.
“I want to ask the people of Vihiga to look closely at leaders like Nyoro, Matiang’i, Martha Karua and Sifuna, as well as those coming from the Mountain region, and tell me whether they can truly face Ruto,” he said.
Savula further urged Luhya voters living in Nairobi to unite behind Lang’ata MP Phelix Odiwuor should he contest the Nairobi Senate seat in the future.
“In Nairobi, we have officially endorsed our candidate Jalas (Phelix Odiwuor). We are asking all Luhyas living in the capital to vote for him there instead of travelling back to the village during elections,” he said.
Odiwuor, who is the current Lang'ata MP, has expressed his intentions to run for the Nairobi senatorial seat in 2027.
The remarks were made during a meeting with Vihiga County boda boda leaders attended by Emuhaya MP Jeremiah Milemba, Luanda MP Dick Maungu and other leaders.
Addressing the gathering, Omollo emphasised the importance of the boda boda sector in driving grassroots economic growth, describing operators as a critical link in the country's transport network.
“Boda boda operators are the last link in the transport chain, ensuring that no village, home or business is left disconnected,” Omollo said.
He added that empowering the sector remains central to the government's Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), saying it supports livelihoods, expands access to markets and services, creates jobs and promotes inclusive growth across the country.
