Kenya, 4 January 2026 – As the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) moves to wrap up its grassroots elections, party leaders are increasingly leaning on opinion polling to counter growing claims that its influence in Mount Kenya is waning.
Mathira Member of Parliament Eric Wamumbi’s assertion that UDA remains the region’s most popular party reflects a broader effort by the ruling party to project stability and dominance at a time of heightened political competition.
Recent opinion polls indicate that UDA continues to lead in national party preference, maintaining an edge over its closest rivals despite a crowded political field.
While the ruling party does not command majority support, it still emerges as the single most popular political outfit, reinforcing Wamumbi’s argument that the task ahead is not recovery but consolidation.
The surveys suggest that UDA’s support base, though solid, exists alongside a significant portion of voters who remain undecided or unattached to any political party, pointing to a fluid and competitive political environment.
In Mount Kenya, long regarded as a critical political battleground, UDA’s strategy appears focused on strengthening internal structures rather than winning over new converts.
The high turnout in the ongoing grassroots elections, including more than 3,000 registrants in Mathira Constituency alone, underscores the party’s emphasis on organisation and mobilisation.
In electing representatives at the polling-station level and building upwards through ward, constituency and county structures, UDA is seeking to entrench its presence from the ground up ahead of future electoral contests.