NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 27 — Tharaka Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki has led a grassroots endorsement of President William Ruto’s 2027 re-election bid, with residents rallying for the retention of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki as running mate amid an emerging contest over the position within Ruto’s expanded broad-based coalition.
Njuki’s mobilisation comes as the UDA-led Kenya Kwanza alliance seeks to deepen cooperation with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), whose senior leaders have indicated that the party will negotiate for the Deputy President position as part of a proposed broad-based coalition arrangement.
The competing claims have placed Kindiki’s political future at the centre of negotiations, with his allies insisting that the incumbent should remain Ruto’s running mate while ODM figures have identified the position as a key bargaining demand.
Speaking at a local rally, Njuki asked residents to make their position on Kindiki’s future clear, portraying the gathering as a grassroots expression of support for the Deputy President.
“The President want to know what your position is on this matter. Should we keep this slot or let go?” Njuki asked the crowd.
He also sought to challenge calls for Kindiki to be replaced, telling residents that their position should be known amid the emerging debate over the 2027 ticket.
Njuki’s intervention follows fresh public backing for a Ruto-Kindiki ticket from a section of senior government officials.
On Monday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen told Kindiki that President Ruto would begin a second term “together with you”, in remarks that injected fresh political significance into the Deputy President’s position.
Murkomen made the remarks during the Kenya Prisons Service 27th Officer Cadet Passing-Out Parade in Ruiru, where Kindiki represented Ruto after the President asked him to attend the event at short notice.
Murkomen: Ruto will start a new term with Kindiki
The Interior CS did not indicate whether the proposed UDA-ODM alliance had reached an agreement on the running-mate position.
Senior ODM figures, including National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, have repeatedly said the party would negotiate for the Deputy President position as part of a coalition arrangement with Ruto’s UDA and Kenya Kwanza.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has, however, dismissed the prospect of ODM taking the position, insisting that Kindiki would remain Deputy President during Ruto’s second term.
The competing positions have opened an early contest over the composition of Ruto’s 2027 ticket, with the expanded broad-based coalition bringing together political interests that could seek representation in a potential second-term administration.
For Njuki, the grassroots mobilisation in Tharaka Nithi offers an opportunity to demonstrate local support for both Ruto’s re-election and Kindiki’s retention, as negotiations over the coalition and running-mate position continue.
Kindiki, a former Interior Cabinet Secretary and long-serving politician from Tharaka Nithi, became Deputy President in October 2024 following the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua.
