Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has warned that Mt Kenya could remain shut out of the country’s top leadership for the next 30 years, arguing that President William Ruto’s political support and divisions within the opposition threaten the region’s future bargaining power.
Waiguru said opposition leaders were unlikely to agree on a single presidential candidate for the 2027 General Election, with competing ambitions threatening to undermine efforts to challenge Ruto.
Speaking while meeting rice farmers and local leaders at Makutano in Kirinyaga County, the governor urged Mt Kenya leaders to rethink their political strategy, signalling her preference for remaining within Ruto’s political camp rather than betting on an opposition coalition whose unity she questioned.
“I can tell you without fear or favour that, for the next 30 years, Mt Kenya will not be in leadership. It is a fact,” she said.Waiguru based her assessment on what she described as Ruto’s strong political numbers across the country, claiming that 35 of Kenya’s 47 counties were aligned with the President, excluding Mt Kenya and Ukambani, while Nairobi remained politically mixed.
Her remarks underscore the political calculations facing Mt Kenya leaders as they weigh their options ahead of the 2027 elections, amid uncertainty over the opposition’s ability to agree on a common candidate.
“You do not need science to know that the opposition will not unite,” she said.Waiguru claimed that some leaders from the Eastern region had indicated they could support Ruto if Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka was denied the opposition presidential ticket.
She also said some leaders from Nyanza were backing former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i and wanted him to lead the opposition, pointing to competing regional interests that could complicate negotiations over a joint candidate.
The governor cited Kalonzo’s recent description of Ruto as “my brother in Christ” as another indication of the political manoeuvring taking place ahead of the election.
Kalonzo later defended the remark, saying it reflected his Christian values and did not amount to support for Ruto or his administration. He maintained that he would continue opposing the President politically.
Waiguru said her own strategy was built around long-term political positioning rather than public declarations or shifting alliances.
She said she was positioning herself within the political establishment around Ruto and intended to remain there as leaders prepare for future negotiations over power and leadership.
“I am preparing to go to that negotiating table, and you can already see me there. I cannot keep leaving and running around, not knowing where we are going. The leadership of a country is planned over many years,” she said.Waiguru cited her election and re-election as Kirinyaga governor, followed by her election as Council of Governors chairperson, as examples of the value of planning and strategic positioning.
She also pointed to her presence alongside Ruto at official engagements, including international meetings, saying such access was part of her political strategy.
“When you see the President somewhere, I am there. When he attends the United Nations, I am there. That is called positioning yourself. It is not about constantly calling press conferences. A press conference will not take me anywhere,” she said.
Her remarks place the question of Mt Kenya’s political future at the centre of the emerging 2027 contest, with the region’s leaders facing choices over whether to remain aligned with Ruto or negotiate with an opposition whose ability to settle on a common candidate remains uncertain.
