Amina Halake, the wife of former presidential candidate Mohammed Abduba Dida, has officially entered Kenya’s 2027 presidential race, declaring her candidacy and assuming leadership of the Alliance for Real Change (ARC) party.
In a bold announcement during an interview with TV47, Halake distanced her political ambitions from her husband, asserting, “I am the party leader for Alliance for Real Change, not my husband Abduba Dida.” She emphasized that it was time for Kenya to embrace a woman president, adding that the country’s current state has left citizens frustrated and disillusioned. “Even a two-year-old is a politician now,” she remarked, alluding to the widespread political awareness and discontent across the nation.
Halake’s political rise is not without experience. She revealed that she had been deeply involved in her husband’s past campaigns, handling strategy and logistics behind the scenes. “There is nothing I do not know about campaigns,” she said, positioning herself as a seasoned political strategist stepping into the spotlight.
While she now leads the ARC party, it remains uncertain whether Dida, recently released on parole from the Big Muddy Correctional Centre in Illinois, will support her bid. Dida had been serving a seven-year sentence stemming from convictions for transmitting threats and aggravated stalking. He was released on April 3, 2025, after serving nearly two and a half years. Halake acknowledged that although she had hinted at her ambitions to him, the two have not discussed the matter deeply.
Halake joins a small but notable list of women who have vied for Kenya’s top office, following the paths of Charity Ngilu, Nazlin Omar, and Martha Karua. Her campaign is set against a backdrop of what she described as a national crisis, citing rampant corruption, unresolved abductions, and extrajudicial killings.
“This candidacy is not just ambition it’s a response to a national crisis,” Halake stated, framing her run as a moral and civic duty. As 2027 approaches, her entry signals a potential shake-up in the presidential race and reopens the conversation around female leadership in Kenya.
