Leaders from Mount Kenya East have thrown their weight behind Deputy President Kithure Kindiki as their preferred candidate for the presidency in 2032, even as they campaign for President William Ruto’s re-election in 2027.
The leaders from Meru, Embu, Tharaka Nithi and Isiolo counties said the region was preparing to seek the presidency after the 2027 General Election, with Kindiki emerging as their preferred successor.
Their push was made during a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) polling centre leaders’ meeting at Kinoru Stadium in Meru on Friday.
The meeting also exposed an emerging political bargain within the Mount Kenya region: continued support for the Ruto-Kindiki administration in 2027 in exchange for backing Kindiki in the next presidential succession contest.
Why Mount Kenya East is backing Kindiki
Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma said the region had supported leaders from Mount Kenya West in previous presidential and deputy presidential contests and should now receive reciprocal support.
He argued that Mount Kenya should remain politically united despite its internal regional divisions.
“We are not children of a stepmother; Mount Kenya is one. Over the years, we have supported our brothers from the west in leadership, from the Deputy Presidency to the Presidency. Now, it is time for them to return the favour and support Deputy President Kithure Kindiki. That is not too much to ask for,” Mutuma said.
Mutuma also cited government projects in healthcare, roads, affordable housing and agriculture as reasons Meru would continue supporting the Kenya Kwanza administration.
Leaders want Ruto and Kindiki to stay together
Tharaka Nithi Governor Onesmus Muthomi Njuki linked Kindiki’s current position to Kenya’s history of deputy presidents succeeding their political principals.
“History shows that you can become President if you have served as Deputy President. We are almost there, and we should support the Deputy President until he becomes President,” Njuki said.
He urged voters to retain the Ruto-Kindiki administration for a second term, arguing that the two leaders should be given the opportunity to serve for 10 years.
“There is no difference between President William Ruto and DP Kindiki; they are joined at the hip. Why would you want them to serve for only five years?” he said.
The message signals that Kindiki’s supporters are already linking the 2027 election to the longer-term 2032 succession debate.
Isiolo joins the Kindiki succession push
Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo went further by openly predicting that Kindiki would become Kenya’s sixth president after the 2027 election.
“I have no doubt that after 2027, the next, sixth President of the Republic of Kenya will be Professor Abraham Kithure Kindiki,” Guyo said.
Guyo pointed to infrastructure and health projects, including the construction of the Nithi Bridge and plans for a Level Six hospital in Meru, as evidence of development under the Ruto administration.
Former Isiolo Governor Godana Doyo also called for the region to remain united behind Kindiki.
“For the first time, East of this mountain, we will get a President of the Republic of Kenya,” Doyo said.
UDA support remains central to the strategy
The leaders also reaffirmed their support for UDA, rejecting calls for the region to move towards emerging political formations.
Meru Senator and Senate Deputy Speaker Kathuri Murungi said residents should remain in the party they helped bring to power.
“The people of Meru are not stupid. We formed this government, we voted for it, and we cannot now be told to leave UDA, the party we formed and voted for and go and form another government whose owners we do not know,” he said.
Tigania West MP John Mutunga set a target of one million votes for the government in Meru County, urging residents to protect ongoing development projects by supporting the administration.
Chuka Igambang’ombe MP Patrick Munene similarly credited Kindiki with championing projects contained in the Kenya Kwanza manifesto.
The Mount Kenya West question
The strongest political message from the meeting was directed at Mount Kenya West.
Governor Cecily Mbarire accused leaders from other parts of the Mount Kenya region of disrespecting Kindiki and argued that Meru, Tharaka Nithi and Embu had consistently supported presidential candidates from the west.
She cited the region’s support for former presidents Jomo Kenyatta, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta before calling for a political shift.
“For 37 years, we, the people of Meru, Tharaka Nithi and Embu, have supported you. This time round, they should support our son, Professor Kithure Kindiki,” Mbarire said.
The argument effectively frames the 2032 succession as a question of political reciprocity between the two sides of Mount Kenya.
What the 2032 message means for 2027
The leaders’ statements show that the political calculations around 2027 are already being connected to the succession battle that could follow.
For now, their immediate objective is to maintain support for Ruto and Kindiki and keep Mount Kenya East firmly within the UDA camp.
But by openly positioning Kindiki as their preferred presidential candidate for 2032, the leaders are also beginning to shape expectations about who should inherit the Kenya Kwanza political coalition after Ruto.
Whether Mount Kenya West will accept that proposal remains a major question.
The region has historically been influential in determining presidential outcomes, but its internal political interests have not always moved in the same direction.
The push by Mount Kenya East therefore represents more than an endorsement of Kindiki. It is an early attempt to negotiate the region’s place in Kenya’s next presidential succession while keeping its political alliance with Ruto intact through the 2027 election.
