Runyenjes MP Karemba dumps Ruto’s party ahead of 2027 elections

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 26 – Runyenjes MP Eric Muchangi Karemba has announced he will not seek re-election on President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket in 2027, adding to a growing list of Mt Kenya leaders abandoning or distancing themselves from the ruling party. Karemba said he would spend the next two months consulting constituents and political leaders before settling on a new party to defend his seat in the next General Election. A source familiar with the discussions has indicated that Runyenjes MP Eric Muchangi Karemba is expected to defect to the People’s Party of Kenya (PPK), the political outfit associated with Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, as he seeks an alternative platform ahead of the 2027 General Election. “It is good that I inform you that the time has come for me to look for a party. I know there are many parties. What I know is that next year, I will not contest on the UDA ticket,” he said while addressing residents in Gikuuri, Runyenjes, on Sunday. The MP said he would announce his next political vehicle within two months after consulting his supporters and leaders from different parties. “In less than two months, I will have spoken to my people and leaders of different parties. I will have announced the party I will use to vie for the Runyenjes parliamentary seat in 2027,” he said. Karemba’s announcement comes amid shifting political allegiances in the Mt Kenya region, where several leaders elected on UDA tickets in 2022 have since left the party, declared they will seek alternative political platforms or aligned themselves with rival formations ahead of the 2027 elections. Mass defection Karemba’s decision follows the departure of several prominent politicians who were elected on UDA tickets in 2022 but have since shifted their political allegiances. Kieni MP Njoroge Wainaina, popularly known as Chieni, announced on October 17 that he had left UDA to join the Ufanisi Kenya Party, saying the Mt Kenya region needed to chart an independent political path ahead of the next election. Other notable departures include Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata and Nyandarua Governor Kiarie Badilisha, who joined former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP). Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba has also declared she will not defend her seat on a UDA ticket, while Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe has announced his departure from the ruling party and moved towards DCP. Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has also severed ties with UDA and joined the People’s Party of Kenya, citing the need to reassess the country’s political direction ahead of the 2027 polls. Nakuru Senator Tabitha Karanja has announced plans to contest the Nakuru governorship on a DCP ticket, while former Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa announced her exit from UDA in July amid disagreements over her political ambitions in Kilifi County. Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has also indicated that he will not seek re-election on a UDA ticket, although he has not formally announced joining another party. The departures point to fluid political alignments in Mt Kenya, a region that was central to Ruto’s victory in 2022. The fallout between the President and Gachagua has contributed to the emergence of competing political formations seeking to consolidate support ahead of the next General Election. Karemba, who was first elected to Parliament in 2017 on a Jubilee ticket before winning a second term on a UDA ticket in 2022, has not yet named the party he intends to use in his bid for a third term. He chairs the National Assembly’s Public Petitions Committee. His planned announcement within two months is expected to clarify whether he will join an established opposition party or opt for another political vehicle as candidates begin positioning themselves for the 2027 contest.