NAIROBI,Kenya Aug 18 – Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro is set to begin his first political tour since ditching President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and joining the opposition, with his home county of Murang’a providing the launchpad for his new political campaign.
Nyoro announced that he will hold his first political engagement in Makuyu on Wednesday, August 19, as he begins selling his new political message to voters following his decision to join the People’s Party of Kenya.
The rally is scheduled for 11am, with Nyoro inviting his supporters to attend what he described as a “people’s tour”.
“Tomorrow, we will be in Mukuyu; all are welcome. We are African, and Africa is our business,” Nyoro said in a statement on Tuesday.
The tour comes just a day after the Kiharu MP announced his departure from UDA and revealed that he had joined the opposition, marking a major political shift for a politician who was previously one of Ruto’s most vocal allies.
Year-long consultations
Nyoro said his decision to switch political camps followed extensive consultations with leaders in the emerging opposition alliance.
He disclosed that he had held discussions with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Justice Minister Martha Karua and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, among others.
Nyoro said his consultations with Matiang’i had lasted almost a year.
“I have taken time to consult almost all the opposition leaders,” he said.
He also named Siaya Governor James Orengo and former Cabinet minister Peter Munya among leaders he had engaged before making the decision.
Nyoro announced that he and his supporters had joined the People’s Party of Kenya, presenting the party as a vehicle that could bring together different opposition formations ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“In all the People’s Party tours, all opposition aspirants are invited,” he said.
He stopped short of declaring a presidential bid, instead saying the new political vehicle would accommodate opposition leaders and aspirants seeking to challenge the Ruto administration.
Ruto ally to opposition figure
Nyoro’s move marks one of the clearest breaks from Ruto by a politician who played a prominent role in the President’s 2022 campaign.
The Kiharu MP was previously regarded as one of the administration’s influential voices in Mt Kenya and was closely associated with Ruto during the Kenya Kwanza campaign.
His decision to join the opposition has therefore triggered speculation over his political ambitions and the role he intends to play in the 2027 succession contest.
The planned Makuyu tour is likely to provide the first indication of how Nyoro intends to build support for his new political direction, particularly in Mt Kenya, where he will have to explain his departure from an administration he previously helped establish.
Nyoro has already indicated that he intends to take his message beyond the region.
He named Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Bomet, Elgeyo-Marakwet and Kericho among the counties he plans to visit, signalling an attempt to rebuild political networks in areas where he previously campaigned for Ruto.
“You know the work I did when we were helping even the President who is currently in office,” Nyoro said.
“I will come and explain to you why, after we did all that work, we have reached this point. Why are we now moving away from one leader to another?”
Building a new political base
Nyoro has also outlined plans to build the People’s Party from the grassroots by identifying, mentoring and training candidates for elective positions.
He said the party would support candidates seeking positions from Members of County Assembly to Parliament and county offices.
“I will be at the forefront of offering them advice, mentorship and training so that as we recalibrate our country at the national level, we also have credible leaders in our wards, constituencies and counties,” he said.
His immediate political test, however, will begin in Makuyu, where he is expected to address voters just days after making his political break with Ruto.
The decision to start the tour in Murang’a is politically significant, given the importance of Mt Kenya in Nyoro’s political base and the ongoing contest among leaders seeking to shape the region’s position ahead of 2027.
Nyoro’s political ambitions
Although Nyoro has not formally declared a presidential bid, his nationwide tour plans, consultations with prominent opposition leaders and decision to take charge of a political vehicle have raised questions over whether he could eventually seek a bigger role in the 2027 presidential contest.
The Makuyu rally could therefore offer a glimpse into the direction of his new political project.
It also comes as other political formations associated with the opposition seek to consolidate their support and negotiate possible alliances ahead of the election.
Nyoro’s political shift has already attracted criticism from leaders within the government camp.
DCP deputy party leader John Methu on Tuesday dismissed the emergence of Nyoro’s political vehicle as another “wheelbarrow”, saying such new formations would not necessarily change the political allegiance of Mt Kenya voters.
“These wheelbarrows that are coming up, we know all of them. We knew they were coming. We saw one that was launched yesterday, and we were waiting for it because we had been told that there was a wheelbarrow from Murang’a; it does not come to us as a surprise,” Methu said.
Methu warned that the new political formations were likely to be used to introduce fresh presidential candidates from Mt Kenya.
“We know that after you have formed the wheelbarrows, you will try to introduce new presidential candidates from this region. Let me give you bad news; the people know who their leader is and the party they belong to,” he said.
His comments set the stage for a political contest over Nyoro’s decision before he has even begun his first tour.
“A wheelbarrow is a wheelbarrow, and we will deal with small wheelbarrows in the same way we have dealt with the big one,” Methu added.
The “wheelbarrow” reference is drawn from the symbolism of Ruto’s 2022 “hustler” campaign, when the wheelbarrow became a prominent symbol of grassroots economic empowerment and the political aspirations of ordinary Kenyans.
Nyoro will now be seeking to convince voters in Murang’a and beyond that his political departure from Ruto represents a genuine change of direction rather than an early manoeuvre in the race for the 2027 succession.
