UDA Set for Repeat Phase Two Grassroots Elections in 18 Counties as Party Targets Expanded Base.

UDA Set for Repeat Phase Two Grassroots Elections in 18 Counties as Party Targets Expanded Base.

UDA Chairperson Cecily Mbarire and Secretary General Hassan Omar Hassan address the media at United Democratic Alliance headquarters ahead of the party’s repeat Phase Two grassroots elections set to take place in 18 counties nationwide. 

By Jeff Oyugi 

Nairobi - April 22, 2026

The ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party is set to conduct repeat Phase Two grassroots elections in 18 counties on Thursday, April 23, 2026, in a move party leaders say will strengthen its grassroots structures and expand participation in internal democratic processes ahead of future political contests.

Addressing the media, UDA Chairperson Cecily Mbarire announced that the exercise will take place across Kisii, Siaya, Migori, Bungoma, Makueni, Kisumu, Machakos, Kitui, Isiolo, Marsabit, Taita Taveta, Lamu, Tana River, Kilifi, Kwale, Mombasa and Turkana counties. She added that Kajiado County will hold its repeat grassroots elections on Saturday, April 25.

Mbarire said the party expects approximately eight million members to participate in the exercise across 9,117 polling centres, with more than 450,000 candidates having registered to contest for 20 grassroots leadership positions at polling stations. The positions include representatives of women, youth, special interest groups, farmers, religious leaders, professionals and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).

“These elections are part of the party’s continued effort to entrench democratic participation at the grassroots level,” Mbarire said. “So far, we have successfully conducted grassroots elections in 25 counties, where 235,923 grassroots officials have already been elected.”

She noted that once the repeat elections are completed, the exercise is expected to produce an additional 182,240 grassroots officials with a direct mandate from party members, significantly expanding the party’s local leadership structures across the country.

To enhance transparency and efficiency, Mbarire said the party will deploy electronic voting technology across polling centres during the exercise. According to her, about 9,500 electronic voting tablets have already been distributed and will be used to facilitate the voting process.

“As with previous elections, we will deploy edge-to-edge technology to manage the process, and the results will be available on a public portal on the party’s website,” she said.

Voting is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. and close at 5 p.m., although adjustments may be made in specific areas depending on logistical considerations.

Mbarire urged party members to maintain peace and discipline throughout the exercise, noting that earlier phases of the grassroots elections were conducted largely without major incidents.

“We wish to urge our members to maintain peace throughout the process and avoid any form of electoral violence,” she said. “The party believes strongly in democracy and peaceful elections at all times.”

In addition to the grassroots elections, the chairperson disclosed that the party leadership had earlier held consultations with Deputy Party Leader Kithure Kindiki regarding preparations for a forthcoming parliamentary by-election in Ol Kalou Constituency in Nyandarua County.

She said at least 10 aspirants had already expressed interest in contesting for the seat on a UDA ticket, adding that the party had agreed to conduct free and fair party primaries to select its candidate.

“We have agreed about ensuring that there will be free and fair party nominations at a date to be announced later,” she said, affirming that the party would sponsor a candidate for the by-election.

Mbarire also used the opportunity to encourage young people to collect their national identity cards to enable them to participate in electoral processes, including voter registration.

She noted that the government, through assistant chiefs and chiefs’ offices, was working to ensure uncollected identification documents reach eligible applicants, adding that increased youth participation remained critical to strengthening democratic engagement.

“We want to urge those who have already registered and whose IDs are lying idle in offices to collect them,” she said. “We are also pushing for faster and more efficient registration of young persons so that they can be eligible as voters.”

UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar Hassan said the repeat Phase Two elections were intended to give members in areas where earlier contests were incomplete or did not meet required thresholds another opportunity to participate in the process.

“The whole idea of this repeat is to give an opportunity to those seats that were not contested and those who did not meet the threshold required for the elections to have a second chance,” he said. “It is also to allow those who might have been left out of the process to come and vote.”

Hassan said the party viewed grassroots elections as a key pillar in building strong political institutions and nurturing future leaders capable of advancing its policy agenda nationwide.

He added that once the repeat exercises are concluded, the party expects to have onboarded approximately 580,000 grassroots leaders across the country, significantly strengthening its organisational structures.

“The party continues to pursue its strategy of strengthening its presence in all parts of the country,” he said. “This is part of the democratic process of party building, where institutions produce leaders who will carry forward the party ideals.”

According to Omar, the repeat elections will largely take place in counties across the Coast region and parts of northern Kenya, areas the party is keen to consolidate its support base as it expands its national footprint.

He further maintained that UDA had consistently conducted credible nomination processes in previous elections, resulting in candidates who went on to secure elective positions with minimal disputes arising from internal party contests.

Political observers have previously noted that grassroots elections play a crucial role in shaping party structures ahead of major electoral cycles, particularly by influencing candidate selection processes and strengthening mobilisation networks at the local level.

With Thursday’s exercise expected to attract millions of party members across multiple counties, the outcome is likely to further define UDA’s organisational strength as it continues to position itself ahead of future electoral contests.