Kioni: It is difficult to win elective seat in Mt Kenya on a party without a presidential candidate
By Mabonga Makhanu, July 13, 2026Former Ndaragwa Member of Parliament (MP) Jeremiah Kioni has argued that it is difficult for any politician to win an elective seat in the Mt Kenya region on the ticket of a political party that does not have a presidential candidate.
Speaking during an interview with a local radio station on Monday, July 13, 2026, the Jubilee deputy party leader said aspirants seeking elective positions in the region stand a better chance of success if they are affiliated with a party that has a presidential flagbearer.
Mt Kenya political dynamics
According to Kioni, Mt Kenya voters are more likely to support candidates who they believe have a direct link to the presidency, saying this is a political reality that leaders in the region understand.
‘’If you want to succeed, and a number of them are aware, it has been proved before. Yeah, it’s very difficult for you to succeed in a political party that is not fronting a presidential candidate. Say that again.”
“If you are coming from the mountain, one of the reasons why it becomes easier for you to win elections, and for Kenyans in that region to listen to you, is when they know you have a link with the top of the presidency, and that top is the presidency,” he said.
He argued that local voters want to know which presidential candidate a party is backing before deciding whether to support its candidates for positions such as Member of Parliament, senator, governor, woman representative or MCA.
Kioni further stated that political parties without presidential candidates face an uphill task convincing voters in the region, regardless of the popularity of their local aspirants.
Kioni’s 2022 defeat
Kioni further argued that attempts to persuade Mt Kenya voters to support candidates from parties that have not fielded presidential contenders rarely succeed in the region.
Citing his unsuccessful bid for the Ndaragwa parliamentary seat in the 2022 General Election, he said the experience taught him that voters in Mt Kenya prefer candidates affiliated with parties that have a presidential flag bearer.
The former lawmaker also claimed that Mt Kenya residents tend to gravitate towards political parties they can easily identify with, adding that, at the moment, Jubilee and the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) are among the parties that enjoy such recognition in the region.