Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i was at pains to declare his loyalty to a political party with which he plans to vie for the presidential seat in 2027.
In an interview on Tuesday, July 1, 2025, Matiang’i indicated that he was still engaged in broad consultations and that declaring a political party at the moment would disadvantage some of the people he was negotiating with.
“I am now in consultation with a number of political parties and leaders across the board. I honestly think that if I made a choice now and stuck to one political party, I would disadvantage the others with whom we are having a discussion,” Matiang’i said.
Sufficient conversations
“Definitely, as we go forward, there is not going to be a single political party that will form the government. I would rather have sufficient conversations with Kenyans across the board before I finally say this is the format with which I would like to present myself to the IEBC.”
The former cabinet secretary also noted that being courted by various political parties to be their flagbearer was flattering.
“I have been approached by seven or eight political parties on whether we should work together. It is flattering that we have many political leaders sitting down in their executive committees, and saying maybe Fred Matiang’i should be our candidate even before I ask them,” Matiang’i remarked.
Jubilee and UPA
“I don’t want to close the door on anyone, I want to have very inclusive, comprehensive and exhaustive discussions with everyone, then we can come together and work on a coalition.”
While the Jubilee Party has declared the former Interior Cabinet Secretary as their preferred presidential candidate in 2027, the United Progressive Alliance Party (UPA) has owned Matiang’i.
During his maiden tour in the Gusii region, the UPA Party took charge of the tour, and the podium was branded in their party colours despite the presence of other political leaders from other opposition parties.
Matiang’i is in talks with former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, former Justice Minister Martha Karua, Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi, DAP-Kenya Party leader Eugene Wamalwa and the Jubilee Party, among others, to form a coalition to run against President William Ruto in 2027.
