Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has urged residents of the Mt Kenya region to remain firmly behind President William Ruto ahead of the 2027 General Election, arguing that securing the President’s second term would place the region in a stronger position to produce Kenya’s next Head of State.
Speaking during a series of engagements in Meru County on Sunday, Prof. Kindiki said the region should not “gamble” with its political future by abandoning the Kenya Kwanza administration. He maintained that President Ruto’s re-election would create a clear succession path for the Mt Kenya region after the completion of the President’s constitutional two-term tenure.
Addressing congregants and residents during church services and a public rally, the Deputy President likened the political moment to a football match, saying the region should support the “best-placed striker” rather than distract itself with alternative political calculations.
“After President Ruto, I am the best-placed person to take over from him. Just like in football, when the striker is well positioned, the ball is passed to him to score for the team. We should not waste such an opportunity,” Kindiki said.
The Deputy President attended a worship service at the Methodist Church Abothuguchi Synod in Imenti Central Constituency, where he also led a fundraising drive for the construction of the church’s headquarters. Later, he represented President Ruto during another fundraising event for the Methodist Church Laare Synod in Igembe North Constituency before addressing a public rally in Laare Town.
Prof. Kindiki argued that the Mt Kenya region stood to gain more politically by remaining within the Kenya Kwanza administration than by joining opposition formations, which he said offered no realistic opportunity for the region to produce a future president.
According to the Deputy President, supporting President Ruto’s second-term bid would strengthen both the government’s development agenda and the region’s long-term political interests.
He urged residents not to be swayed by competing political narratives, insisting that the current administration presented the most viable opportunity for the region to ascend to the country’s highest office after President Ruto.
The Deputy President also defended his political career, highlighting more than a decade of public service in senior government positions.
He cited his tenure as Senator, Senate Majority Leader, Deputy Speaker of the Senate, Interior Cabinet Secretary and now Deputy President as evidence of his leadership credentials, saying critics who underestimated him would eventually be proven wrong.
Kindiki said public service and performance, rather than political attacks, would ultimately determine leadership.
The Deputy President attributed his support for President Ruto to what he described as significant development achievements undertaken in the Mt Kenya region since the Kenya Kwanza administration assumed office in 2022.
Among the flagship projects he highlighted were the ongoing upgrade of Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital to a Level Six facility, road construction projects valued at approximately Sh39 billion, electricity connectivity programmes worth Sh2.3 billion, construction of modern markets and the redesign of the Nithi Bridge, whose implementation, he said, is progressing despite compensation challenges affecting some landowners.
Kindiki argued that no previous administration had invested as heavily in the Meru region and appealed to residents to reciprocate by supporting the government.
He also called for patience, saying the administration remained committed to fulfilling all campaign pledges despite growing public expectations.
“The President is under pressure to deliver everything immediately as though he is the country’s first President. We inherited longstanding challenges, but we remain committed to delivering all our promises,” he said.
A day earlier, while representing President Ruto during the Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme at Kaptarkok in Keiyo South Constituency, Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Prof. Kindiki urged Kenya Kwanza leaders to shelve succession politics and concentrate on President Ruto’s re-election campaign.
He warned against premature campaigns for the 2032 presidential race, saying such debates risked diverting attention from the government’s development agenda.
“I urge leaders across all regions of Kenya to put aside discussions about 2032 and focus on ensuring President William Ruto secures a second term so that his transformation agenda can continue,” he said.
The Deputy President said the administration’s development record would be the strongest campaign tool ahead of the next election.
Among the projects he cited were the construction of the Talanta Sports Stadium, expansion of the Rironi-Mau Summit Highway, the Isiolo-Mandera Highway, reconstruction of Nithi Bridge, implementation of the NYOTA youth empowerment programme and the fertiliser subsidy initiative, which he said had improved agricultural productivity and youth entrepreneurship.
Kindiki also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to environmental conservation, saying the national tree-growing programme remained on course to achieve the target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032.
He said approximately 1.7 billion trees had already been planted under the programme, while forest restoration initiatives were continuing in Kaptagat and other degraded ecosystems across the country.
According to the Deputy President, environmental conservation would enhance water security, food production and climate resilience.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen praised Prof. Kindiki’s leadership, saying his focus had strengthened the implementation of President Ruto’s development agenda.
Environment Cabinet Secretary Deborah Barasa said her ministry remained committed to achieving the national target of planting 15 billion trees by 2032 and encouraged Kenyans to take advantage of the rainy season to increase tree planting efforts.
National Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo, who serves as patron of the Kaptagat Integrated Conservation Programme, said the initiative would continue expanding forest restoration activities to rehabilitate more degraded land across the country.
The Deputy President concluded by urging leaders and citizens alike to prioritise unity, development and environmental stewardship as the country prepares for the 2027 General Election.
