Western Kenya, a key battleground in the 2022 General Election, is now on tenterhooks.

The vote-rich region is arguably a casualty of recent political deals between President William Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga.

During the 2022 election campaigns, Ruto promised the Western region lucrative deals, including at least 30 per cent of government positions, in a bid to secure its 2.2 million voters.

In a pre-election agreement, Ruto committed to giving Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang'ula a 30 per cent share of government, including key roles such as Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, ambassadors, High Commissioners, and State corporation chairpersons.