NAIROBI ,Kenya Oct 1 – Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has emerged as the leading choice among respondents asked which woman they would prefer to serve as Kenya’s first female deputy president, according to a survey by Politrack Africa.
The poll puts Waiguru at 36 per cent, followed by former Justice Minister Martha Karua at 27 per cent and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga at 15 per cent.
The findings come as political parties and potential presidential contenders begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election, with the question of running mates expected to form part of coalition negotiations.
Waiguru’s nine-point lead over Karua places the two former political rivals at the centre of the poll. The survey, however, does not establish whether either would secure a running-mate position in 2027, as such decisions are made by presidential candidates and their respective coalitions.
According to the poll, 22 per cent of respondents either declined to identify a preferred candidate, said they were undecided or named another person. Seven per cent said they were unfamiliar with the candidates presented.
The findings follow an earlier Politrack survey in June that also placed Waiguru ahead when respondents were asked which political figure would contribute most to President William Ruto’s re-election bid.
In that survey, Waiguru received 30.9 per cent, followed by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki at 19.3 per cent and Wanga at 17 per cent.
The two surveys measured different issues and therefore do not provide a direct measure of a change in support for Waiguru.
Waiguru, who served as Cabinet Secretary for Devolution before entering elective politics, was first elected Kirinyaga governor in 2017 and retained the seat in the 2022 elections. She also previously served as chairperson of the Council of Governors.
Her political career has included a major confrontation with the Kirinyaga County Assembly in 2020, when she faced an impeachment motion. The Senate subsequently rejected the impeachment charges.
Karua, meanwhile, has a long national political career and was Raila Odinga’s running mate in the 2022 presidential election. She has also remained active in opposition politics and has previously expressed interest in the presidency.
Waiguru and Karua also have a history of electoral competition. The two faced each other in the 2017 Kirinyaga gubernatorial election, which Waiguru won. Karua’s subsequent legal challenge did not overturn the result.
Wanga, who is also chairperson of the Orange Democratic Movement, is the third-ranked woman in the latest survey. She became Homa Bay governor in 2022 after serving as a member of Parliament for Rangwe.
The poll comes amid renewed political attention on the Mount Kenya region, whose voting patterns are expected to be significant in the 2027 presidential contest. Waiguru’s political base in Kirinyaga could make her a consideration in discussions over coalition arithmetic, although the poll does not measure regional voting intentions.
The position of deputy president has never been held by a woman since Kenya adopted the current constitutional system in 2010. The country’s two deputy presidents since then have been men.
The Constitution also provides for the implementation of the two-thirds gender principle in elective and appointive bodies, although its application to political parties’ presidential tickets has remained part of wider debates on women’s political representation.
