Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has embarked on a two-week tour of the United States aimed at winning over Kenyan voters living abroad, as the country's political class steps up early positioning ahead of the 2027 general election. The Daily Nation, which reported the tour, described it as a deliberate effort to woo the diaspora vote, a constituency that Kenyan parties have pursued with growing intensity in recent election cycles.
Sifuna, who represents Nairobi County in the Senate, serves as Secretary General of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the party led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga. He has held the party post since 2018 and has been one of its most visible public faces, frequently acting as a leading voice in opposition politics. He was elected to the Senate in 2022.
The United States hosts one of the largest populations of Kenyans living outside the country, with communities organised around churches, professional associations and county and village welfare groups. Previous election cycles have seen senior Kenyan politicians travel to American cities to meet diaspora gatherings and mobilise support, and the practice has intensified as each successive vote has drawn closer.
Under Kenya's 2010 Constitution, citizens residing outside the country have the right to register as voters, and the country's election laws permit them to participate in presidential elections and referenda.…
