President William Ruto and his deputy Kithure Kindiki. Foreground (from left): Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri, Nominated MP Sabina Chege, Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah.
The 2027 General Election is emerging as a defining political test for President William Ruto’s loyalists in the Mt Kenya region, with growing concerns that their influence in national politics may be on the decline.
Top among their fears is the mounting hostility toward President Ruto and his allies, which they say could prompt the Head of State to rethink his 2027 ticket—potentially sidelining Mt Kenya from the power equation.
A Mt Kenya exclusion from the 2027 ticket could upend current power dynamics rendering key political actors, their allies, brokers and networks irrelevant—since new leadership typically ushers in its own ecosystem.
Already, Webuye West MP Dan Wanyama has proposed that the running mate position which was given to Mt Kenya in 2022, be awarded to a more “thankful” voting bloc in 2027.
President William Ruto, Deputy President Prof Kindiki Kithure and Cabinet Secretaries after a Cabinet meeting at State House, Nairobi on July 29, 2025.
This threatens the place of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who is widely seen as Ruto’s likely running mate.
President Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) secured about 87 per cent of the Mt Kenya vote in the 2022 election sweeping nearly all elective seats in both national and county governments.
But just two years later, his support in the region appears shaky.
“My people, come and let us reason together. This government is like a dairy cow to us. Its tits are dripping with milk. Let us not beat it or scream at it. Other regions are watching and won’t hesitate to take our milking position,” said Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri.
“This is a government we helped form in Mt Kenya; it should be ours to lose. We should not be like the foolish wife who abandons the harvest she helped plant,” Mr Kiunjuri added.
While some allies are hinting that a Dr Ruto win is possible without Mt Kenya, others like Kieni MP Njoroge Wainaina suggest that the region could be expendable.
“In fact, even if Mt Kenya withdraws its support, Dr Ruto can still win by uniting the rest of the country,” Mr Wainaina said.
Some UDA figures now say they are merely targeting 50 per cent support in Mt Kenya in 2027. Others like Naivasha MP Jane Kihara counter that Ruto could end up with a "single-digit percentage."
Behind the scenes, Dr Ruto’s allies are panicking with their fear stemming from the possibility of losing not only political positions but also government-linked business opportunities and influence.
Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo summed up the anxiety during a July 27, 2025 rally in Kimorori grounds in Maragua constituency.
Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo during the Regional Development Forum for Africa at the Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi on April 7, 2025.
“Look me in the eye and see a man who will not foolishly walk away from a government that is still working for us. Soon, I will take the mantle to guide Mt Kenya in cementing its place in this administration,” he said.
The backlash against Dr Ruto began after the introduction of unpopular tax measures under the Finance Bill 2024, rising cost of living and perceptions of betrayal especially after he brought ODM leader Raila Odinga, their 2022 rival, into government.
The tipping point came with a wave of alleged abductions, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Then, in October 2024, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was impeached—a move seen by many in Mt Kenya as political betrayal.
Mr Gachagua has since rebranded himself as an opposition leader after he quit UDA, launched the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) and is now mobilising Mt Kenya as a regional political bloc ahead of 2027.
He has also formed alliances with key opposition leaders including Martha Karua, Justin Muturi, Mithika Linturi, Kalonzo Musyoka, Fred Matiang’i, Eugene Wamalwa, and George Natembeya—posing a serious challenge to Ruto’s re-election.
In his current tour of the Us, Mr Gachagua has accused the Ruto administration of turning governance into a commercial venture.
“They collect taxes like a business. The housing levy, health insurance and e-citizen payments are all business schemes,” he claimed.
A Ruto loss in 2027 would not only disrupt Mt Kenya’s current hold on power but also scuttle the 2032 succession plans. Figures like Kiunjuri, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoo and governors Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga), Cecily Mbarire (Embu), and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah had been eyeing top positions.
Many in Mt Kenya believe Mr Gachagua’s impeachment was orchestrated to clear the path for younger politicians ahead of 2032. But if Ruto loses in 2027 and a new administration serves two terms, that ambition may be pushed to 2037 or later.
Mr Gachagua has called for those backing Dr Ruto especially MPs who voted for his impeachment—to be branded as "traitors" to the community and wants history to remember them harshly.
But Nominated MP Sabina Chege has pushed back.
“Mr Gachagua goes around dismissing our political future as if our destiny is in his hands… as if he is God,” she said.
“This is Kenya, not Mr Gachagua’s personal estate. We will not be dictated to,” said Mr Ichung’wah.
Still, some UDA loyalists believe their only political redemption lies in ensuring DR Ruto’s re-election or at the very least, securing individual wins to save face.
Meanwhile, the former DP Gachagua continues to signal that political justice will eventually catch up with those he accuses of state violence and betrayal.
"We want to tell the president, his allies and especially Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja that justice will find you, no matter how long it takes," Mr Gachagua said in Murang’a on July 27.
