NAIROBI, Kenya, May 31 — The ODM Linda Mwananchi faction is set to take its consultative rally to Thika as it seeks to expand its influence ahead of the 2027 General Election.Speaking during a rally in Machakos,Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Secretary-General and Suba South MP Caroli Omondi painted an optimistic picture for the formation, projecting that it could consolidate up to 16 million votes in the next election.“On June 14, we are going to have a major rally in Thika to show residents that we stand with them, even as President William Ruto treats them with contempt,” Omondi said.The planned rally will mark the faction’s first major foray into the Central region. The political formation is largely made up of ODM members opposed to the Broad-Based Government arrangement and any efforts to support President Ruto’s re-election bid.Central Kenya has traditionally been a difficult political battleground for ODM and its departed leader, Raila Odinga, who unsuccessfully contested the presidency in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022.Raila struggled to make significant inroads in the region during the 2022 election, when an estimated 87 percent of voters backed President Ruto and his running mate at the time, Rigathi Gachagua.Despite receiving the backing of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, Odinga garnered approximately 1.3 million votes from the region. His campaign also suffered from low voter turnout in his Luo Nyanza stronghold, where more than 700,000 registered voters did not cast their ballots.The Linda Mwananchi faction has already held rallies in Busia, Kitengela, Kakamega, Narok, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Machakos as it continues its nationwide mobilisation campaign.