Waiguru Says She Will Run for President in 2032, Pushes for Women in 2027 Deputy President Talks

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has declared that she will run for president in 2032, and has signalled she wants to deputise President William Ruto in the 2027 General Election.

Waiguru spoke on Tuesday at a G7 women’s leadership forum, where she said she would be on the ballot for the top seat in 2032.

She framed both moves around her time in public service. Waiguru was Kenya’s first Cabinet Secretary for Devolution and Planning, was elected governor in 2017, and became the first woman to chair the Council of Governors.

At the same forum, Waiguru pressed for women to be brought into the negotiations that will shape the 2027 election, arguing that they should compete openly for the Deputy Presidency rather than wait to be picked by political leaders. Her audience included Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, who urged women leaders to back one another regardless of party, and Secretary to the Cabinet Mercy Wanjau, who told women eyeing elective office to go after it with confidence.

Waiguru also returned to the constitutional two-thirds gender principle, saying it must be fully implemented. Sixteen years after the Constitution was promulgated, Kenya is still working out how to reach the required gender balance in elective and appointive positions.

She credited women leaders for her rise to the chair of the Council of Governors, and described the slow progress on representation as a failure of collective will rather than an unavoidable outcome.

“I want to make a declaration today that Anne Mumbi Waiguru will be on the ballot for President of the Republic of Kenya in 2032. Take that to the bank!” she said.

She said she intends to push for women’s representation at the negotiating table, including in the discussion about the Deputy Presidency. If her own bid does not succeed, she added, another woman would take up the journey, a point she made in arguing that the push should not slip backwards.

Her remarks add to the debate over who will deputise President Ruto in 2027, a contest in which aspirants have already begun positioning themselves. The forum produced no formal campaign structures, running mates or coalition agreements.

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