Water Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome.
Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has in recent months sent mixed political signals, suggesting she may be returning to active electoral politics ahead of the 2027 elections.
For the past three months, Ms Wahome has held high-profile rallies in Kandara Constituency, which she previously represented in Parliament before joining the Cabinet, issuing political statements that have sparked speculation about her next political move.
While some believe she may be eyeing the Kandara parliamentary seat, others think her messaging and timing hint at a higher target — possibly a gubernatorial, senatorial, or Woman Representative position.
“I have sworn to be in the thick of things in Mt Kenya politics ahead of 2027,” the CS declared on December 14, 2025, while speaking in Kiambu County.
Alice Wahome.
She added that her recent activities aim to safeguard the interests of Mt Kenya, President William Ruto, and her own political standing as “queen of the mountain.”
“He (President Ruto) must be Tutam regardless of what the likes of Mr Rigathi Gachagua are preaching. The only person who understands the country’s interests is President Ruto,” she said.
However, her public rallies have also sparked tensions with other Ruto supporters in Murang’a County. Maragua MP Mary Wa Maua says Ms Wahome has clashed with key allies, including Woman Rep Betty Maina, with both accusing each other of arrogance and stubbornness — fueling speculation that the gender seat could be a point of contention despite their loyalty to Kenya Kwanza.
Ms Wahome held notable rallies on September 16 and December 6, 2025, in Kandara, delivering fiery speeches that hinted at her 2027 ambitions.
At the rallies, she described herself as a “lion of politics” and stressed her contribution to President Ruto’s rise to power, saying: “I was not elevated into the cabinet because of a beauty contest; it was because I helped this government ascend to power.”
She also launched a public attack on the former deputy president, Mr Gachagua.
Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
“He should behave… I’m in government. He talks awfully and should keep off me,” she said, asserting she remains comfortable serving in the Ruto administration but warning that “years are moving and soon it will be decision time.”
Two days earlier, Mr Gachagua had claimed that he maintains influence within the government despite his impeachment last October. Ms Wahome responded that his comments were harming her political standing.
“Even if I were sharing matters with him, one does not speak like that. He might think he is defending me, but he is inflicting damage,” the CS said.
Ms Wahome was part of a group of Mt Kenya leaders, including Gachagua, Moses Kuria, Kimani Ichung’wa, Ndindi Nyoro, and Jayne Kihara, who supported Dr Ruto in 2022 against then-President Uhuru Kenyatta’s preferred successor, Raila Odinga.
Of the so-called “Big Six rebels,” only Ms Wahome and Ichung’wa remain firmly in Ruto’s camp.
In her September rally, Ms Wahome declared she remains the “usual tough politician who conquered Kandara for three elections” and warned that 2027 presents multiple open seats: “I am still the tough political player I used to be… I have gone nowhere.”
MP wa Maua criticised Ms Wahome, suggesting she has shifted from her ministerial duties to focus on political grandstanding.
“She should be sitting in the office to receive complaints and work on solutions, not chasing 2027 politics,” the MP said.
But Ms Wahome countered: “Maua should relax and wait for the full incursion… I might even take this battle into her constituency. I am not a Kandara-only politician.”
Political analyst Mixson Gitau says Ms Wahome appears to be advancing Tutam politics in Murang’a, creating friction with other loyalists, including Gachagua, Maina, and Maua.
“If you dissect her actions, she is positioning herself for 2027, either for herself or for President Ruto,” Mr Gitau said.
