Plucked and Promised: Kenya’s Politics of Baiting and Selection Ahead of 2027

By Peter Ongera

As Kenya’s 2027 election season gathers pace, we are witnessing the familiar cadence of baiting and selection: economic gestures timed for political resonance, and strategic alliances carefully forged for electoral advantage.

A political parable that has gained currency online, whether true or not, tells of a leader who plucks the feathers off a chicken, only to offer it grains later.

Starved and desperate, the chicken returns to the hand that hurt it.

This image resonates not because it is literal history, but because it speaks to a pattern we know too well: short-term relief offered just when it matters most politically.

This year, such politics has a distinctly Kenyan rhythm.

Economic Relief as Political Strategy

President William Ruto’s recent reduction of taxation for those earning less than Ksh 30,000 per month is being widely discussed as a boost for low-income earners.

By easing the tax burden on this large segment of the workforce, small traders, boda boda riders, casual labourers and others on the margins, it promises tangible relief to families struggling with the rising cost of living.

At face value, it is a welcome measure. But its timing, in the prelude to the campaign season, inevitably lends it political weight.

It is the kind of policy that voters feel in their pockets, just as political calculations intensify.

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Strategic Alignments and Selection

At the same time, the political class has entered what feels like a season of selection.

Across the country, leaders within the ruling coalition are aligning with key regional power brokers, endorsing aspirants, negotiating party tickets and shaping county-level alliances that could determine who carries the banner in 2027.

Governors and MPs are making overtures, joining new coalitions, and securing strategic positions within party structures.

These moves are not accidental; they are early positioning in a contest that promises to be fiercely competitive.

The opposition, too, is not standing still. Its leaders are recalibrating alliances across regions, forging partnerships between long-standing party stalwarts and emerging figures.

Rift Valley, Western, Coast and Nyanza politicians are assessing their strengths and negotiating who best can challenge the incumbency.

Whichever way one looks, the chess pieces are being moved with intent.

Civic Space and Political Controversy

Nowhere has the intensity of this political moment been more visible, or controversial, than in the public reaction to issues of civic space and protest.

In mid-2025, Belgut MP Nelson Koech, who chairs the National Assembly’s Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee, made headlines for urging the police to “shoot to kill” violent protesters, arguing that those he described as criminals targeting property and key state installations deserved lethal force.

His speech amplified already heated debates around the use of force during demonstrations that have occasionally turned violent, raising deep concerns about rights and proportionality.

Mr Koech’s remarks sparked widespread condemnation from civil society, human rights organisations and political leaders across the spectrum.

In recent days, he issued a public apology, saying the comments were made in the heat of the moment, that they did not reflect his character, and that he regretted the language used.

The episode did more than attract headlines. It highlighted the broader tension at the heart of Kenya’s political discourse: how leaders speak about dissent, how they balance public order with constitutional freedoms, and how rhetoric aimed at shoring up support can escalate fears among citizens already wary of heavy-handed tactics.

These debates are not happening in abstract. They follow periods of large demonstrations by young Kenyans expressing frustrations over economic conditions, governance failures and perceived constraints on civic space.

Many protests have drawn clashes with police, resulting in casualties and a renewed national conversation about rights and state authority.

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Political Significance in Every Gesture

In this climate, every policy gesture and every public utterance gains political significance.

A tax relief measure feels like a gift at just the right moment. An apology after a harsh comment becomes evidence of political sensitivity or political expediency.

Endorsements and alliance-building signal who is likely to dominate the next ballot.

Yet, Kenya’s electorate is not powerless, and voters are not chickens waiting for a few grains.

Across social media platforms, in markets, matatus, churches and universities, Kenyans are discussing substance over slogans.

Young voters in particular are demanding indicators of consistent leadership, economic opportunity, and respect for constitutional rights.

They want to know not just what leaders promise in the run-up to the election, but what they delivered in the years before it.

This is an evolution in Kenya’s political maturity. It is not enough to give seasonal relief; leaders are now being asked to account for performance over a term.

Voters are recalling stalled projects, unmet promises, and the quality of service delivery long before the campaign season began.

For democracy to deepen, Kenya must reward leaders who demonstrate both vision and consistency, who respect civic rights as much as they seek political support, and who build partnerships that reflect national unity rather than momentary convenience.

As we edge towards 2027, Kenyan voters will face more grains, more speeches, and more alliances.

But the real question will be whether they respond only to the surface gestures, or whether they look deeper, demanding leadership that lasts beyond a campaign season.

Because true leadership earns not just compliance, but enduring trust, and that is the kind of election Kenya deserves.

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