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In the tightly packed Gusii Stadium on May 2, 2025, a familiar but long-quiet voice returned to the national conversation; firm, measured, and unmistakably ambitious. “I am ready to be President of Kenya,” announced Dr. Fred Matiang’i, marking the official start of a presidential campaign many believed was quietly simmering beneath the surface for months.
Matiang’i’s entry into the 2027 race signals a possible realignment of Kenya’s political DNA. Many see him as a technocrat-turned-political force, backed by institutional memory, regional loyalty, and the tacit blessings of some very seasoned hands, including, if the signs are anything to go by, former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
While Uhuru has publicly maintained that he’s out of active politics, Jubilee’s embrace of Matiang’i, and the visible presence of Jeremiah Kioni and other Kenyatta-era allies, confirms the obvious: the former president still has skin in the game.
Uhuru’s bet on Matiang’i makes political sense. Matiang’i carries the image of a firm, no-nonsense public servant, a man who turned around the Ministry of Education, tightened national exams, and ran one of the most powerful Interior ministries in Kenya’s history without getting visibly entangled in political theatrics. In a country tired of endless rallies and shallow populism, he represents a ‘safe pair of hands’ narrative. But will that be enough?
Meanwhile, Rigathi Gachagua, the deposed Deputy President, ousted in late 2024 following a turbulent fallout with Ruto, hasn’t exactly left the stage quietly. In fact, he’s taken the drama home, quite literally. His Wamunyoro residence in Nyeri has become a kind of parallel political court: part rehabilitation centre, part opposition strategy room.
It is there that Matiang’i, Kalonzo Musyoka, and Martha Karua have all appeared in recent days, prompting speculation of a grand coalition in the making. Gachagua may have been politically bruised, but he commands a segment of Mt. Kenya’s electorate that feels politically shortchanged and emotionally orphaned.
His pivot from being Ruto’s sharpest enforcer to one of his loudest critics, while still playing host to opposition figures, speaks to a fluid and unsettled political mountain. Whether he becomes a kingmaker or a spoiler, Gachagua is a factor Matiang’i will need, and Ruto cannot afford to ignore.
Officially, President William Ruto’s camp has played it cool. UDA loyalists have labelled Matiang’i “a relic of the past,” brushing off his bid as uninspiring. But behind closed doors, there’s unease. The idea of a Matiang’i-Kalonzo-Karua-Gachagua ticket, possibly fortified with Jubilee’s remnants and a few defectors from Kenya Kwanza, presents a real threat.
The President may still enjoy solid numbers and incumbency, but his coalition is increasingly seen as rhetoric-heavy and delivery-light. The economy has tightened, public debt is biting, and youth disillusionment is growing — all fertile ground for a new narrative that frames Ruto as yesterday’s promise and Matiang’i as tomorrow’s order.
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