Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has sent ripples through Kenya’s political establishment after openly distancing himself from President William Ruto’s 2027 re-election bid, marking one of the most significant political shifts in the Mt Kenya region so far.
Speaking on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, during a charged grassroots tour, Nyoro dismissed the 2022 UDA victory as a product of emotional mobilisation rather than sound economic planning.
He argued that voters in the Mt Kenya region were swayed by slogans that failed to address long-standing economic concerns affecting traders, farmers, and small businesses.
By aligning himself with the fast-growing ‘Wantam’ movement, a regional bloc anchored on economic revival and local interests, Nyoro has made it clear that he no longer intends to be politically tethered to a national administration he believes has lost touch with its original promises.
From Economic Brain to Fierce Critic
Nyoro’s remarks represent a dramatic turnaround, given his past role as one of President Ruto’s key economic strategists. He now argues that the much-publicised “bottom-up” agenda has morphed into a debt-driven economic structure that is squeezing the very constituencies it promised to uplift.
According to Nyoro, businesses in the Mt Kenya region are struggling under rising costs, limited credit access, and reduced government support, while smallholder farmers continue to feel abandoned.
Gachagua Alliance in the Works?
Political insiders suggest that Nyoro’s next move could involve a strategic alliance with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Although the two leaders were previously rivals in the race for regional political dominance, recent developments appear to have pushed them closer.
President Ruto’s recent Nyeri tour, which prominently featured Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, is said to have alienated both Nyoro and Gachagua, accelerating talks of a united regional front.
Sources indicate that a Nyoro–Gachagua pact is being quietly crafted with the aim of consolidating Mt Kenya votes and denying the President automatic regional backing in 2027.
Battle for the Mountain Intensifies
As State House leans on development projects such as affordable housing initiatives to retain influence, Nyoro’s shift gives political voice to voters who feel shortchanged by the current administration.
The power struggle over the Mt Kenya vote is now shaping up as a direct contest between the national executive and an increasingly confident regional rebellion.
End of UDA’s Grip in Central Kenya?
Nyoro’s move signals a possible end to UDA’s dominance in Central Kenya, opening the door to a fragmented but highly competitive political landscape ahead of 2027.
By choosing regional economic priorities over party loyalty, Nyoro has positioned himself as a key figure in redefining the Mountain’s political future—one that may no longer be dictated from State House but shaped on the grassroots.
As internal cracks widen within the ruling party, Nyoro’s bold embrace of the ‘Wantam’ movement suggests that Mt Kenya is preparing to chart its own political course, free from the campaign tactics that defined the last election cycle.
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