Africa-Press – Kenya. A total of 3,803 aspirants have registered to vie for elective positions on the UDA ticket just five days after the ruling party opened its online registration portal ahead of the 2027 General Election.
According to figures released by the party, the early surge in enrolments signals intense competition within President William Ruto’s party, highlighting the high stakes for members seeking the party’s coveted tickets.
Of these, 64 have expressed interest in gubernatorial seats, 98 in Senate races, 138 in Woman Representative positions, 640 in parliamentary contests, while a dominant 2,863 aspirants are seeking to run for MCA positions across the country.
The registrations follow a notice issued January 22 by the party’s National Elections Board (NEB), inviting all qualified and interested members to enlist as participants in the UDA Aspirants’ Forum set for February 4.
The meeting to be chaired by President Ruto will be held at State House.
NEB is a key party organ tasked with shaping and guiding the nomination process for the next general election, including the development of rules, timelines and dispute resolution mechanisms.
The registration portal, accessible through the party’s official website, allows aspirants to formally enrol for the forum and marks the first structured step in UDA’s preparations for 2027.
The party has also introduced non-refundable registration fees, ranging from Sh2,000 to Sh10,000, depending on the seat being sought.
MCA aspirants are required to pay Sh2,000, those vying for Member of the National Assembly, Woman Representative or Senator positions Sh5,000, while gubernatorial hopefuls must pay Sh10,000.
“All qualified and interested party members who wish to contest for various elective seats in the 2027 General Election are hereby invited to register as members of the UDA Aspirants’ Forum,” reads part of the notice issued by NEB chairman Anthony Mwaura.
He said the board remains committed to overseeing a transparent, credible and orderly nomination process.
Payments for registration are made via M-Pesa using Paybill number 888092, with aspirants instructed to use their national identification number as the account reference.
Alternatively, payments may be made through an Equity Bank account held in the name of the United Democratic Alliance.
Beyond the numbers, the opening of the portal has formally ushered in early political manoeuvring within the ruling party, with UDA moving swiftly to centralise and manage competition among its members.
The move comes amid memories of chaotic party primaries in past election cycles, which often led to defections, court cases and weakened parties heading into general elections.
Political observers view the State House meeting as a calculated move by the president to place himself at the centre of the party’s nomination conversation, tighten discipline and assert control over a process that has historically been a major source of internal strife.
The forum is expected to bring together thousands of aspirants from across the country and will mark the first major formal engagement between UDA’s top leadership and those seeking the party’s tickets.
Party insiders say the meeting will be used to spell out nomination rules, outline timelines, clarify dispute resolution mechanisms and issue warnings against premature campaigns, parallel mobilisation structures and public infighting.
Holding the forum at State House is seen as highly symbolic, elevating the exercise beyond a routine party gathering and signalling that nominations are a strategic priority for the presidency.
It also allows the party leadership to take stock of emerging regional dynamics, particularly in areas where multiple strong aspirants are lining up for the same seats.
Early engagement, insiders say, gives UDA an opportunity to identify potential flashpoints, manage rivalries and, where possible, encourage consensus-building before competition escalates into open conflict.
With the party hosting both incumbents seeking re-election and ambitious newcomers, the leadership faces the delicate task of balancing political renewal with survival.
The forum is also expected to reinforce party ideology and loyalty at a time when coalition politics remain fluid and quiet realignments are taking shape across the political landscape.
For UDA, which currently controls key national and county-level positions, ensuring that its nomination machinery is orderly and predictable is seen as critical to maintaining unity and projecting stability ahead of the 2027 polls.
