A section of senior political leaders from the Coast region have intensified their support for President William Ruto, citing development projects, increased government representation, and expanded public services as reasons for backing his re-election in 2027.

Speaking in Likoni, area Mp Mishi Mboko said their decision to work with the Kenya Kwanza administration was informed by what she described as tangible development and national unity.

“We are supporting the President because he has managed to unite the country. Yes, we are in ODM, but we are working with the government. President Ruto has delivered on most of his promises and deserves another term,” Mboko said.

Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Salim Mvurya said Coast leaders had collectively agreed that remaining in the opposition had not yielded meaningful benefits for the region.

“We sat together as Coast leaders and agreed that we have always been in the opposition as a region, and that has not been beneficial to us. President Ruto showed us that he has the best interests of the Coast at heart, and that is why we decided to work with him,” Mvurya said.

He credited the President with restoring key port services to Mombasa soon after assuming office and said the government had made unprecedented investments in the region.

“His first assignment after taking over government was bringing back port services to our region. President Ruto has invested heavily in development projects at the Coast. No President has ever accomplished such projects in our region,” he said.

Mvurya also pointed to increased representation of Coast leaders in government.

“Today, we have two Cabinet Secretaries from the region and several Principal Secretaries. The government has also set aside more than Sh300 billion for development projects in the Coast region,” he added.

He accused some opposition politicians of misleading residents ahead of the next General Election.

“There are politicians who are out to deceive and sell lies to the people. They have no agenda for our region. Some even served as Deputy President and never paid attention to the Coast, but today they are referring to us as cousins. President William Ruto deserves two terms,” Mvurya said.

Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho urged Coast residents to treat the 2027 elections as a critical moment for the region’s future.

“Do not take the 2027 elections as a joke or lightly. These elections are very important to us as the people of the Coast region. We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the past,” Joho said.

He argued that the region stood to benefit from continuity in leadership.

“We must re-elect President William Ruto. He has our best interests at heart, and he has already demonstrated that through the projects his administration has delivered. We will be the losers if we do not re-elect him. You only realize the value of something after you lose it. Let us not get there.”

Joho further cautioned voters to carefully evaluate their choices.

“We must be very careful and tactful when making our decision about the next election. If we get it wrong, then we are done,” he said.

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir also defended the government’s record, highlighting improvements in healthcare and access to national identification documents.

“It is only through the government of President William Ruto that our community health workers have started earning monthly. We now have a working health insurance system. Let us not listen to the naysayers,” Nassir said.

He further noted that longstanding challenges affecting sections of the Coast had begun to receive attention.

“Some used to refer to us as radicals and even denied us identification cards. Through President Ruto’s government, our people are now getting IDs,” the governor added.

The leaders maintained that continued collaboration between the Coast region and the national government would accelerate development and improve service delivery, while urging residents to support President Ruto’s re-election bid in 2027.