President William Ruto has taken an early lead in the 2027 presidential race, with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna emerging second in a new Politrack Africa poll.
The poll survey released on released on Thursday, October 1, 2026 was conducted between September 15 and 25, 2026, asked respondents which presidential candidate they would vote for at the time.
“If elections were held today, which presidential candidate will you vote for?” Politrack asked.
Ruto Takes Early Lead in 2027 Race as Sifuna Posts 19.6% in New Poll
The survey results shows that Ruto received 45.1 per cent of the responses, while Sifuna recorded 19.6 per cent.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka came third with 10.3 per cent, followed by former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i at 7.2 per cent and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at 6.0 per cent.
The poll found that 8.4 per cent of respondents were undecided when asked which presidential candidate they would vote for if elections were held at the time of the survey.
Prof George Wajackoyah recorded 1.1 per cent, while Martha Karua and David Maraga each received 0.8 per cent.
Siaya Governor James Orengo recorded 0.4 per cent, while businessman Jimmy Wanjigi received 0.3 per cent.
The findings provide a snapshot of presidential preferences captured by the polling firm and do not represent an election result.
The Politrack survey targeted potential voters across the country. Data was collected using a text-based technology platform, through which sampled users were invited to participate and answer prompted questions at their convenience.
A total of 20,419 respondents participated in the survey. Politrack reported a 95 per cent confidence level and a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points.
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Party Support
Politrack also measured support for political parties and coalitions.
The largest response, at 32.0 per cent, came from respondents who preferred not to state their party or coalition preference.
UDA recorded 11.7 per cent, followed by the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) at 10.6 per cent and ODM at 9.1 per cent.
Jubilee recorded 7.3 per cent, while 6.9 per cent of respondents said they did not support any political party.
Other parties and coalitions recorded smaller shares, including Wiper, Kenya Kwanza, Azimio, KANU, ANC and FORD-Kenya.
Ruto’s Development Tours as 2027 Race Intensifies
The poll comes as Ruto has stepped up development tours across different parts of the country, where he has launched, commissioned and inspected government projects.
In September, the President toured Nyanza, including Kisumu, Siaya, Migori and Homa Bay, with his programme featuring roads, markets, water projects, housing and other infrastructure.
He also undertook a development tour of the South Rift, with projects in Bomet and Kericho featuring on his itinerary, including roads, healthcare facilities, affordable housing and markets.
The President subsequently toured the Coast, where his programme included the issuance of title deeds, inspection of government projects and the groundbreaking of the proposed East Africa Refinery in Lamu.
The tours have also featured political engagements, with Ruto using some of the visits to speak about his administration’s record and the 2027 political contest.
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Sifuna Steps Up Presidential Bid
Sifuna has in recent months intensified his political activities through the Linda Mwananchi movement as he positions himself for the 2027 presidential contest.
On September 13, Sifuna said he intended to challenge Ruto in the 2027 election while addressing a Linda Mwananchi mobilisation event in Nairobi.
The movement subsequently endorsed Sifuna as its presidential candidate following a leadership retreat on September 26. The group said it would unveil the political party through which he would contest the presidency in early October.
Sifuna’s emergence as a presidential candidate adds a new dimension to the political contest ahead of the 2027 General Election.
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