{"id":2861,"date":"2025-01-10T19:05:48","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T19:05:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kituitimes.com\/?p=2861"},"modified":"2025-01-10T19:05:50","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T19:05:50","slug":"kitui-south-mp-rachel-kakis-re-election-bid-in-jeopardy-as-polls-show-declining-popularity-and-rising-support-for-gladys-kivoto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/10\/kitui-south-mp-rachel-kakis-re-election-bid-in-jeopardy-as-polls-show-declining-popularity-and-rising-support-for-gladys-kivoto\/","title":{"rendered":"Kitui South MP Rachel Kaki&#8217;s Re-election Bid in Jeopardy as Polls Show Declining Popularity and Rising Support for Gladys Kivoto."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">by Kitui South MP Rachel Kaki faces a growing challenge for re-election in 2027, with recent polls indicating a decline in her popularity. The poll, reportedly commissioned by her own supporters, shows Kitui County\u2019s Agriculture and Fisheries Chief Officer, Gladys Kivoto, leading with 52.41% support, while Kaki lags behind at 35%. Although Kivoto has not yet declared her intentions to run, the poll highlights a significant shift in public sentiment, with many Kitui South residents expressing a strong desire for new leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"731\" height=\"1011\" src=\"https:\/\/kituitimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676506-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2862\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676506-1.jpg 731w, https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676506-1-217x300.jpg 217w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 731px) 100vw, 731px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Residents have voiced frustrations with Kaki\u2019s leadership, citing stagnation in development and unmet needs in areas like infrastructure and economic empowerment. In contrast, Kivoto is widely praised for her work in transforming Kitui County through her leadership in agriculture and fisheries. Her supporters see her as the leader capable of addressing the constituency&#8217;s challenges and bringing meaningful change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"554\" height=\"553\" src=\"https:\/\/kituitimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676513-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2864\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676513-1.jpg 554w, https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676513-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676513-1-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 554px) 100vw, 554px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The poll results have sparked optimism among Kivoto\u2019s supporters, who are rallying behind her potential candidacy for 2027. While Kivoto has not officially announced her plans, she has expressed surprise at the growing public desire for her leadership. She emphasized that her current focus remains on assisting Governor Malombe in delivering for the people of Kitui, stating that she has not declared any political ambitions at this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/kituitimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001669641-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2865\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001669641-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001669641-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001669641-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001669641-1024x1365.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001669641.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite her silence on the matter, Kivoto is admired by many Kitui South residents, who describe her as humble, compassionate, and dedicated. They have expressed disappointment with Kaki\u2019s leadership, feeling she is disconnected from the people. As the 2027 elections approach, it remains unclear whether Kivoto will heed the calls to contest the seat, but the poll results have sent a clear message to Kaki that her leadership is no longer meeting the expectations of the electorate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/kituitimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676514-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2866\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676514-1.jpg 960w, https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676514-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676514-1-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the current trend continues, Kaki\u2019s political future could be in jeopardy, with voters signaling their readiness for a change under Kivoto\u2019s leadership, even if she has not yet formally entered the race. As 2027 draws nearer, the political dynamics in Kitui South are shifting, and the outcome of the next election is becoming increasingly uncertain.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Kitui South MP Rachel Kaki faces a growing challenge for re-election in 2027, with recent polls indicating<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2858,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsbeat","category-politics"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676590.png",2000,1600,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676590-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676590-300x240.png",300,240,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676590-768x614.png",640,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676590-1024x819.png",640,512,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676590-1536x1229.png",1536,1229,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676590.png",2000,1600,false],"morenews-featured":["https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676590-1024x819.png",1024,819,true],"morenews-large":["https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676590-825x575.png",825,575,true],"morenews-medium":["https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/1001676590-590x410.png",590,410,true]},"author_info":{"display_name":"Kambaland Times","author_link":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/author\/kituitimes\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/category\/newsbeat\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Newsbeat<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/category\/politics\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Politics<\/a>","tag_info":"Politics","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2861"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2861\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2867,"href":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2861\/revisions\/2867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2858"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kambalandtimes.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}