Kenya's Coast region, long a stronghold for opposition parties, is shaping up as a genuine battleground for the 2027 general election. President William Ruto has spent months courting the area through frequent visits, a push to issue land title deeds, and funding for large infrastructure projects. That effort has shifted the mood along the coastline, where voters once reliably backed Ruto's rivals. Local leaders now talk of a real contest, and both camps are treating the region's votes as up for grabs.