Information, Communication and Technology Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo. Photo/HandoutInformation, Communication and Technology (ICT) Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo has said President William Ruto has not yet given up on the Mt Kenya region’s support as the 2027 General Election approaches.
Since the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in October 2024, President Ruto’s support in the region has remained shaky, with subsequent by-elections showing declining support for the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
Amid the concerns, Kabogo said the President is a resilient politician who cannot easily give up on the support the region accorded him in the 2022 General Election.
Speaking on Wednesday in an interview with a local radio station, Kabogo said Ruto still has confidence that he can secure support from the region.
“President Ruto has not yet given up on Mt Kenya. He is not a person to despair easily. He is not a joker to reach the level he has reached,” said Kabogo.
“There must be something he knows. He did not get the presidency by luck,” added Kabogo, one of Ruto’s key point men in the region.
During the 2022 General Election, Mt Kenya was one of the regions that massively voted for President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza coalition.
Kabogo cautioned Mt Kenya against making an uninformed political choice ahead of the 2027 presidential election as the Opposition seeks to strengthen its influence in the region.
“Let us open our eyes and plan ourselves. Wise people make their case at night,” he said.
On concerns that the President was directing many development projects to the Nyanza region despite its perceived lack of support for him, Kabogo said Ruto was wooing the region, just as he was reaching out to other parts of the country.
“When you want a bride, you approach her nicely. The President is wooing the region, among many others,” he said.
In the debate over who will be Ruto’s running mate in the 2027 election, Kabogo said the President would have the final say.
He, however, called for respect for Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.
“We respect the current Deputy President [Kindiki]. He is the one in charge. He should be respected. However, the President is the deciding factor on who will be his running mate,” he said.
Kabogo expressed optimism that if Kindiki marshals enough votes across the country, Ruto could have no choice but to retain him as his running mate in 2027.
“If by election time [2027] he will have managed to consolidate more votes exceeding regions like Coast, Nyanza and Western, the President can continue with him,” said Kabogo.
Senior politicians in the broad-based government, drawn from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), have been urging the President to consider candidates from regions such as Nyanza, Western, Coast and Mt Kenya for the running-mate position in 2027.
In Nyanza, some politicians have been fronting Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, while Mt Kenya leaders have rallied behind Prof Kithure Kindiki.
In the Coast region, Mining Cabinet Secretary Ali Hassan Joho has been mentioned, while Western leaders have been pushing for the nomination of Co-operatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya.
