Waiguru starts campaign to rally support for Ruto re-election

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Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has launched a campaign to mobilise Kenyans, particularly women, to support the Kenya Kwanza government’s development agenda and President William Ruto’s bid for a second term.

This comes as women leaders from across the country under the initiative of Daughters of Kenya endorsed her for a future national seat.

During a meeting with 2000 women from across Kenya, Waiguru said she will make a personal sacrifice to traverse the country and rally Kenyans to support Ruto for a second term.

She urged Mt Kenya region to reject opposition politics, saying the region cannot afford to be out of government for five years.

The governor said the opposition cannot win the 2027 elections because it lacks clear strategy and agenda to move the country forward.

Together with other like-minded leaders, Waiguru said, they will rally the region to support the Kenya Kwanza government and Ruto's bid for a second term in office.

Waiguru said her mission is to articulate the gains that come from unity and collective support for the government.

She said her campaign will also preach the value of working together while safeguarding the progress already made in women’s leadership.

The governor said she would also roll out massive mentoring programme for women to take up leadership roles in political, private, religious and civil society spaces.

Waiguru said deliberate efforts are needed to protect and advance the gains women have made in leadership, warning that complacency could reverse the progress made so far.

She said she is reviving a women’s leadership movement to ensure more women step forward into political leadership, noting that unless women across the country rise up and claim their space, hard-won gains would be eroded.

She said leadership should not be viewed as competition but as service at a higher level.

“We are mothers, sisters and wives, but when it comes to leadership, we are able to multitask,” she said, citing her own journey as both a homemaker and a leader who has excelled in public service.

Waiguru underscored the importance of gender balance in decision-making, saying that experiences uniquely affecting women are best addressed when women are at the table.

The governor said her work in Kirinyaga county speaks for itself, adding that this track record should inspire confidence in women’s leadership.

“I have heeded your call to go around the country and rally as many women as possible to support our agenda, but I cannot do it alone,” she said.

“I need people to walk ahead of me, beside me and behind me so that together we can make this country great, with all women fully involved.”

When urged by the women to consider a presidential bid, Waiguru said she had no doubt that one day she would run for the presidency, but not in 2027.

When the time comes, she said, she would vie, but for now her focus is firmly on supporting Ruto to secure a second term.

“We must align with the winning team. Tomorrow’s journey is planned today. I will be in government and I am never on the losing side,” she said.

The governor said she feels obligated to hold the hands of many women to ensure their numbers do not decline in leadership positions. “The time for women is now."

At the same event, the Daughters of the Mountain (DOK), a women caucus comprising women from Central, Rift Valley, Nairobi, Western, Nyanza, Eastern, Northeastern and Coast region, endorsed Waiguru for a national leadership role.

The caucus said her development track record in Kirinyaga county and her earlier service in the national government provided a strong springboard for her rise to the highest offices in the land.

Dok national chairperson Lydia Mathia said sustainable leadership requires mentorship and “hand-holding.”

She described Waiguru as a cut above the rest in mentoring women into leadership and delivering exemplary leadership worth emulating.

Mathia described Waiguru as a trailblazer who has overcome numerous challenges to position her well to unite like-minded leaders and extend her skills to the national stage.

The caucus formally endorsed Waiguru as the most suitable leader to represent Kenyan women at the highest level of leadership.

Dok Nyanza chapter Coordinator Nerea Oketch praised Waiguru’s proven track record in the national government and in Kirinyaga county.

Risper Ntinyari from Igembe North said women must move beyond being mobilisers and supporters to occupying decision-making positions.

She said challenges such as gender-based violence, teenage pregnancies and girls dropping out of school would be better addressed with women at the helm of leadership.

The women called for the formation of a united women’s voting and leadership bloc to support women seeking leadership positions across the country.

“One message from us is that women can,” Winnie Aura from Nairobi county said. “If Waiguru can do it in Kirinyaga, we need her to do it for the whole country. Our agenda is to eventually take her to State House.” She urged women across the country to ensure they are registered as voters to actualise the vision.

Kirinyaga county’s only elected woman MCA Caroline Wanjiku Muriithi, described Waiguru as a great mentor who has outperformed her peers. She said the governor has demonstrated the capacity to deliver even more if elevated to the next level of leadership.

Instant Analysis

Waiguru announced that she would also roll out massive mentoring programme for women to take up leadership roles in political, private, religious and civil society spaces. She said she is reviving a women’s leadership movement to ensure more women step forward into political leadership, noting that unless women across the country rise up and claim space, hard-won gains would be eroded. Highlighting her development record, the governor said her work in Kirinyaga county speaks for itself across every part of the county, adding that this track record should inspire confidence in women’s leadership.