The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) will on Thursday, April 23rd 2026 conduct repeat Phase II grassroots elections across 18 counties, in a major exercise expected to draw millions of voters and shape the party’s local leadership structures.
According to a media briefing issued in Nairobi on Wednesday, the elections will be held in Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, Kisii, Bungoma, Makueni, Machakos, Kitui, Isiolo, Marsabit, Taita Taveta, Lamu, Tana River, Kilifi, Kwale, Mombasa and Turkana counties with Kajiado County conducting its exercise later on Saturday, April 25.
The party through its Secretary General (SG) Hassan Omar maintained that the repeat polls form part of its ongoing efforts to strengthen internal democracy and grassroots representation following earlier exercises conducted in other parts of the country.
“UDA Party is scheduled to conduct Repeat Phase II Grassroots Elections tomorrow, Thursday, 23rd April 2026,” the SG reiterated, noting that the exercise will take place in over 9,000 polling centres.
Significantly, SG Omar disclosed that more than 450,000 candidates have registered to contest for various grassroots positions, reflecting strong interest in the process.
He added that the candidates will vie for 20 positions at the polling centre level, representing diverse groups including women, youth, special interest groups, farmers, religious organisations, professionals and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs).
“This broad representation underscores the party’s commitment to inclusivity and participation across all sectors of society,” stated Omar.
The SG further projected a turnout of approximately eight million voters, highlighting the scale and significance of the elections within its organizational structure.
He affirmed that the party has already conducted similar grassroots elections in 25 counties, terming the process successful and a key milestone in building its nationwide structures.
“So far, we have successfully conducted grassroots elections in twenty-five counties,” established Omar.
To ensure efficiency and transparency, Omar announced that the party will deploy end-to-end technology in managing the elections as he reported that a total of 9,500 electronic voting tablets have been distributed to polling centres to facilitate the process.
“As with previous grassroots elections, we will deploy end-to-end technology to manage the process,” he emphasized, adding that results will be accessible to the public official website.
Speaking to the media, the SG announced that voting will begin at 8:00 a.m. and close at 5:00 p.m. with officials expressing confidence in a smooth exercise.
Upon completion, Omar mentioned that the elections are expected to produce 182,240 grassroots officials who will hold a direct mandate from party members at the local level.
He insisted that the grassroots polls are a critical component of UDA’s broader strategy to entrench internal party democracy and strengthen its structures ahead of future political engagements.
Meanwhile, political observers note that the outcome of the elections will play a significant role in shaping the party’s mobilisation capacity and leadership pipeline at the community level.
by Celestine Lomolijah
