Homa Bay Town MP aspirant Enosh Bolo has castigated ODM leaders calling for zoning ahead of the 2027 polls, calling them day-dreamers who are out of touch with the political realities of a post-Raila Odinga landscape.

Bolo, who is vying for the seat on a UDA ticket, dismissed calls by a section of ODM leaders, including Homa Bay Governor and party National Chairperson Gladys Wanga, and incumbent MP Peter Opondo Kaluma, for a zoning arrangement that would bar UDA from fielding candidates in ODM strongholds.

“Those leaders who are in dreamland will wake up to the reality that the political landscape has changed with Raila’s demise,” Bolo said.

He argued that only the late Prime Minister Raila Odinga commanded the kind of loyalty that could guarantee ODM automatic political control of its traditional bases, a factor, he said, that no longer applies now that Odinga is gone.

“It is absurd to think otherwise; our people will vote for leaders of their choice, leaders whom they have full confidence in to represent and advocate for their interests,” he said.

Zoning cost Raila Odinga in 2022

Bolo also pointed to the 2022 election as proof that zoning arrangements don’t guarantee results, referencing Odinga’s own loss that year.

“Baba lost the 2022 elections due to zoning by 700,000 votes. Zoning or no zoning, our non-performing political leaders are going home,” he said, adding that ODM leaders pushing the zoning agenda risked undermining President William Ruto’s re-election chances.

“They and their leeches should not hide under zoning, which will disadvantage my President Ruto,” he added.

The zoning push has emerged as a key pre-election flashpoint within the ODM-UDA Broad-Based Government arrangement, with a section of ODM leaders demanding that UDA avoid fielding candidates in ODM-held regions, and that government positions, including the Deputy President slot, should Ruto seek re-election, be split on a 50-50 basis.

Wanga and Kaluma have insisted that any coalition deal with UDA must guarantee ODM a fair share of seats in its strongholds, framing it as necessary protection for the party’s regional influence.

Bolo, however, maintained that healthy competition, not backroom zoning deals, is what will drive voter turnout in Ruto’s favour.

“You have been elected three times; just show your development records instead of sowing division among the proposed UDA-ODM coalition members,” he told Kaluma directly.

Bolo is one of four aspirants who have declared interest in the Homa Bay Town parliamentary seat, alongside former Homa Bay County Secretary CPA Isaiah Ogwe, businessman-entrepreneur Noah Ochola, and computer expert Teddy Opiyo Matete.

His campaign has centred on education bursaries, healthcare access, youth empowerment, infrastructure, and support for traders and small businesses.

“My commitment is simple: to listen, unite, and serve. Together, we can build a constituency where opportunities are open to everyone, development reaches every corner, and every resident feels valued,” Bolo said.