Kisii County Senator Richard Onyonka has once again expressed his support for former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i in the 2027 presidential race.
Speaking at an event on Saturday, Onyonka added that Matiang'i would be running for the presidential seat but will also consider supporting President William Ruto if their interests align.
Directly addressing Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Ogamba, who was also in attendance, the senator stated that Matiang'i would be engaging with all candidates, and if President Ruto performs well from now to 2026, he would consider backing him.
"We have decided that as a community and as Kenyans, we are also going to set up our own political party and we are going to produce our own candidate who will negotiate with the President and all other people who are running for political office, and that candidate is Fred Matiang'i," he stated.
"Minister, we will work with the President and support him if he does very well between now and 2026. We will negotiate with him and support him."
Further justifying his assertion, Onyonka observed that Kenyan politicians were often motivated by what was offered on the table for their regions, thus why negotiations were key.
This resonated with Onyonka's repeated calls for minority communities, like his to occupy top offices and why he has been pushing for the former CS to lead them to the presidency.
"The reality we face today in Kenyan politics, I will say this without fear of contradiction, is that Kenyan politics is based on arrangements and programmed where political parties negotiate for what they take to their counties and areas," he added.
This comes even as top officials in the former ruling coalition, Jubilee, have endorsed Matiang'i to be their flagbearer in the 2027 general elections.
Jubilee coalition's Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni, who is among those who have endorsed him, has been notably aligning with the opposition coalition, which has repeatedly expressed its dissatisfaction with the ruling party.
On January 27, Onyonka revealed that Matiang’i would soon be leaving his position at the World Bank and coming back to Kenya to consult on his way forward as calls for him to vie for presidency in the upcoming elections intensify.
"Yesterday, Fred Matiang’i called me from where he is working for the World Bank in Latin America. He has decided to leave the job and come back to Kenya to join our brothers,” Onyonka said.
“Secondly, he said that he has observed that many parties have mentioned him as a preferred member, but he has asked them to wait so that he can come back home, speak with all our brothers first, then decide the way forward.”
