The Service Party (TSP) leader Mwangi Kiunjuri./HANDOUT
The Service Party (TSP) leader Mwangi Kiunjuri has threatened to withdraw his support for the Kenya Kwanza administration if DP Kithure Kindiki is dropped as Ruto’s running mate in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during an interview with Inooro FM on Tuesday, Kiunjuri said any attempt to remove Kindiki from the 2027 equation could have serious political consequences for Ruto, particularly in the vote-rich Mt Kenya region.
Kiunjuri said he will lobby President Ruto to retain Kindiki as his running mate, insisting that the Deputy President position should remain with Mt Kenya as the region negotiates its political interests ahead of the 2027 elections.
“If they try to touch the position of Kithure Kindiki, I will do away with them. If the slot of Deputy President won't be from Mt Kenya, I will not support the Kenya Kwanza administration,” Kiunjuri said.
The TSP leader maintained that Mt Kenya cannot afford to surrender the Deputy President position after playing a significant role in Ruto’s election in 2022.
He said the region must establish its minimum demands ahead of the 2027 election, arguing that the Deputy President position should not be part of negotiations with other regions.
“We must know what belongs to Mount Kenya ahead of 2027. Already, the opposition is negotiating, and thus we should also set a bare minimum, but the slot of the Deputy President isn’t negotiable,” Kiunjuri said.
Kiunjuri’s remarks come amid competition among Kenya Kwanza allies over Ruto’s preferred running mate for the 2027 election, with leaders from different regions beginning to position themselves for key roles in a possible second-term administration.
The latest push has emerged from Western Kenya, where a section of leaders has demanded a bigger role in Ruto’s 2027 campaign and administration.
The leaders, under a Western Kenya caucus, have endorsed Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya as their preferred candidate for the Deputy President position while backing Ruto’s re-election bid.
The caucus said it would work as a united political bloc to campaign for Ruto’s second term while seeking the Deputy President slot for Western Kenya.
Caucus spokesperson and Budalangi MP Raphael Wanjala recently said the leaders had agreed to mobilise as one unit behind Ruto.
“That the members of the caucus will work as one unit to campaign for the reelection of President William Ruto,” Wanjala said while reading the declaration.
Kiunjuri’s position contrasts with earlier remarks by Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, who said Mt Kenya East would continue supporting Ruto even if Kindiki is not selected as his running mate.
Speaking during an interview with a local television station on July 27, 2026, Ruku said the choice of a running mate ultimately rests with the president.
“We will continue supporting President William Ruto even if Kindiki is not picked; it is the prerogative of the Head of State to choose his running mate,” Ruku said.
