Governor Anne Waiguru’s change in tone on February 8, 2026, represents a calculated effort to stabilize the UDA’s crumbling support in the Mt. Kenya region.
For months, Waiguru had remained relatively noncommittal, often focusing on local development while avoiding the heated national “Wantam” (One Term) debate.
However, as the grassroots ground became increasingly hostile—with pro-Ruto MPs being shouted down in their own constituencies—Waiguru has stepped forward to reframe the 2027 contest not as a policy debate, but as a matter of regional “honor” and keeping a historical promise.
The centerpiece of Waiguru’s new campaign tone is the revival of the “Kumi Yangu, Kumi ya Ruto” (Ten for me, ten for Ruto) promise originally made by Uhuru Kenyatta during the Jubilee era. By reminding voters of this covenant, she is attempting to guilt-trip a constituency that prides itself on “honoring deals.”
She argues that abandoning Ruto in 2027 would portray the GEMA community as “unreliable partners” in national politics, potentially isolating the region from future power-sharing agreements with other blocs.
This shift is a direct reaction to the “hostile ground” phenomenon, where UDA legislators from Murang’a, Nyeri, and Kiambu have been unable to address crowds without being met with chants of “Wantam!” or heckles regarding the high cost of living.
On January 25, 2026, several GEMA MPs were reportedly forced to cut short their speeches at a church function in Nyeri due to public uproar. Waiguru’s intervention is an attempt to provide these embattled leaders with a new “talking point” that bypasses economic grievances and focuses instead on regional stability and political maturity.
Waiguru’s “U-turn” is also a strategic move to check the rising influence of Rigathi Gachagua and his Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP). As Gachagua successfully harvests disillusioned UDA supporters, Waiguru is positioning herself as the voice of “pragmatic loyalty.”
She has publicly declared that she will not join the “Gachagua resistance,” arguing instead that Mt. Kenya’s interests—including the Nyota Program for youth and agricultural subsidies—are better safeguarded by remaining within the “broad-based” government.
Ultimately, Waiguru is betting that the “fear of the unknown” will eventually trump the current “economic anger.” By warning that a fragmented Mt. Kenya will lose its “bargaining seat” at the national table, she is trying to consolidate the pro-government vote ahead of the February 14 Aspirants’ Forum.
However, with the ground remaining stubbornly anti-UDA, her push for Ruto’s re-election is a high-stakes gamble that could either cement her status as the region’s most loyal technocrat or lead to her own political isolation if the “Wantam” wave proves unstoppable.
By KBC