Confusion has gripped a section of constituencies ahead of the November 27 by-elections, as political leaders and State officials appear to be campaigning across party lines, blurring traditional political loyalties and sparking friction within their ranks.

What was initially intended as a show of unity under President William Ruto’s broad-based government framework — an arrangement that brought together the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) — has instead exposed the uneasy co-existence between former political rivals.

President William Ruto and the opposition leader, the late Raila Odinga, sign an agreement between UDA and ODM in the presence of their party members. Photo credit: Pool

The by-elections scheduled for constituencies, including Kasipul, Ugunja, Malava, Mbeere North, Banisa, and Magarini, as well as several wards across the country, have become the first major test of this fragile coalition.

The elections were triggered by a mix of deaths, resignations, and election nullifications that created vacancies in the National Assembly and county assemblies.

While senior officials insist the ODM-UDA cooperation pact is grounded in the spirit of national unity and inclusivity, the unfolding campaigns have laid bare the deep-seated mistrust and overlapping loyalties among politicians navigating the new political order.

ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna has taken issue with the Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki and a section of UDA figures for openly campaigning for ODM candidates under the guise of supporting “broad-