Former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza has declared that she will be on the ballot in the 2027 Meru gubernatorial race, setting the stage for a high-stakes political showdown with former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya and the incumbent, her then-deputy, Isaac Mutuma.

Speaking during a public address streamed via her official Facebook page on Sunday, January 4, 2026, Mwangaza revisited the events surrounding her impeachment, accusing Munya of orchestrating the process through MCAs allied to his Party of National Unity (PNU).

She said the impeachment was a calculated move to deny her the opportunity to complete her five-year term and later face voters based on her performance.

Munya switches off Mwangaza

Mwangaza revealed that at the height of the impeachment process, she personally reached out to Munya in a bid to de-escalate tensions. According to her, she appealed to him to allow her to serve her full term and let the electorate judge her record at the ballot.

However, she claimed Munya declined to intervene and instead insisted that the impeachment push continue. She further alleged that Munya barred her from directly engaging the MCAs, effectively sealing her political fate at the time.

“I remember making a phone call to Munya and beseeching him to speak to his PNU MCAs and asking them to drop the impeachment issue. That they should have given me my chance to rule for my five years, and then after I serve, you mark the work I did and see how I did. When I talked to PNU party MCAs, they said I should call and speak to Peter Munya directly, and they said Munya has insisted we push this impeachment issue, and we don’t back down. And he did not allow me a chance with his MCAS,” she said.

2027 political cooperation

Mwangaza further claimed that the same political actors who supported her removal are now reaching out to her ahead of the 2027 elections, proposing political cooperation and alliances. She dismissed the overtures, insisting that there would be no political truce.

The former governor firmly stated that her party, the Umoja na Maendeleo Party (UDM), will field its own candidate in the 2027 Meru gubernatorial race, and that candidate will be her.

“So at that time they saw me as a fool to kick me out, but now they are pushing me, asking me to make plans to support each other in 2027. No. UMP, my party, will have a candidate in 2027, and I want them to prepare. My term will end, and I will be judged after that. And I know the PNU party will also have Munya as its candidate,” she said.

Legal obstacles

Mwangaza also accused Munya of hoping that legal or political obstacles would bar her from contesting, creating space for him to emerge as the preferred candidate. She dismissed such hopes, expressing confidence in both her popularity on the ground and divine intervention.

“But I know where he is praying that I be barred, so I am not able to run in those polls. Because on the ground, everyone is saying it’s Mama Kawira they want. But he has been told that if I don’t run, he will be the option, and now he is praying I don’t vie. Those prayers won’t work in Jesus’ name. And if he is someone who believes in fair competition, he should have let me end my term; he should not have pushed his MCAs to impeach me. We will face off on the ballot. I am saying now so they can prepare that I will be on the ballot,” Mwangaza maintained.