Former Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana has issued a symbolic but pointed warning to leaders and institutions as the country heads into the 2027 election period.

Taking to his official X account on Thursday, January 1, 2026, Kibwana urged Kenyans to remain vigilant as the country heads toward the 2027 General Election.

In his New Year message to the nation, Kibwana invoked a powerful cultural metaphor drawn from burial traditions in Western Kenya, where someone who is suspected to have been murdered is buried with a torch in a ritual that is aimed at identifying his/her killers.

According to the ritual, the killers will be identified once the torch dims.

“Just like in Western Kenya, where our compatriots bury the dead torch in hand, in the 2027 elections, we must light torches in the 47 counties, 290 constituencies, and 1450 wards. We must illuminate entire country,” Kibwana wrote on X.

Vote theft

He warned that any attempt to dim those torches should be interpreted as an act of theft against the people’s democratic will.

“If the torches dim, it means thieves,” he added.

A screenshot of Kivutha Kibwana’s statement. PHOTO/Screengrab by People Daily Digital from a statement shared on X by @ProfKibwana

The statement, though brief, has sparked widespread political interpretation, with a section of Kenyans in the comment section reading it as a call for heightened electoral vigilance, transparency, and citizen oversight in the run-up to the next general election.

As the 2027 general elections draw near, leaders have been calling for action to ensure that Kenya achieves the desired change.

Matiang’i’s warning

Jubilee Party Deputy Leader Fred Matiang’i, in his New Year message, warned that Kenya risks sliding further into poverty and hardship if urgent action is not taken in 2026.

In a statement shared on X on Thursday, January 1, 2026, Matiang’i reflected on the struggles Kenyans faced in 2025 and called for accountability, citizen pressure, and mass voter registration ahead of the 2027 General Election.

He painted a picture of a country weighed down by rising costs and strained public services, saying many families felt the impact of economic pressure throughout the year.

“We navigated a difficult year, 2025, that was characterised by increased cost of living, declining quality of healthcare, high rates of insecurity, and unprecedented cases of school dropouts due to delayed government funding under free education programmes, among other challenges,” Matiangi said

Matiang’i warned that without deliberate intervention, the situation could worsen, pointing to corruption and inequality as major drivers of hardship.