BY CHAD KITUNDU

The wife of former presidential candidate Abduba Dida, has announced that she will be standing in the 2027 general election as a candidate for the Alliance for Change party.

Following internal elections, Amina Halake took over the leadership position of the party, which was previously led by Dida during his presidential campaigns in 2013 and 2017. During this time, she served as secretary-general.

In a televised interview with TV47, she expressed confidence in her readiness for the race.

“I am the party leader for Alliance for Real Change, not my husband Abduba Dida,” she asserted.

“This is the time for a woman president. Kenyans are fed up, tired and aware of what is going on. Everything is collapsing—even a two-year-old is a politician now.”

While Halake is moving forward with her political ambitions, Dida’s potential return to the race remains uncertain. She hinted that he may still consider running. Dida is currently in the US after serving three years of a seven-year prison sentence for stalking his American ex-wife.

“We haven’t had much of a discussion about it, but he knows that I’m the one who’s moving on with the party. He knows about the recent election and the change in officials. I mentioned my ambition briefly, but we didn’t discuss it in depth because he’s not currently in the country,” she said.

In 2021, Dida was convicted of stalking and threatening his wife at the time in Illinois, in violation of a restraining order. His family claimed the breach was unintentional, explaining that he had visited a mosque near a restricted area.

“He went to the mosque to pray and unfortunately, it was in an area where he was not supposed to be, as Mama Lila also frequently visited the mosque,” a relative said in September 2024.

After serving three years at the Big Muddy Correctional Center, Dida was released in April 2025.

With her announcement, Halake joins a short but growing list of women who have sought Kenya’s highest office. She follows in the footsteps of Charity Ngilu (1997), Nazlin Omar (2007), Martha Karua (2013) and Wangari Maathai (1997).

She said that her decision to run was driven by the deteriorating state of the country, citing rising corruption, unresolved abductions and extrajudicial killings.

“No one is being held accountable. This candidacy is not just ambition — it’s a response to a national crisis”.