Former Chief Justice David Maraga has declared that his political ambitions will not be confined to ethnic boundaries, insisting that his appeal is national rather than regional.

Speaking on Sunday, August 24, 2025, during a night interview with a local TV station, Maraga dismissed suggestions that he should rely on his Kisii and Nyamira roots for political support, saying such ethnic-based mobilisation is at the heart of Kenya’s political dysfunction.

“Some people are saying I should go to Kisii and Nyamira and get the support from them. That is one of the things I am going to fight. This ethnic Balkanisation is what is creating huge problems,” Maraga said.

Effects of tribal politics

According to him, Kenya’s democracy has been undermined by a system where leaders are elected based on tribal affiliations instead of merit, competence, and their vision for the country.

The 2027 presidential hopeful argued that this practice often results in incapable leaders whose priority is not service delivery but protecting narrow ethnic interests.

“People just want to elect their own, and at the end of the day, you end up with people who are not capable of running the country. My political base is Kenya; I am going to appeal to Kenyans to elect me their president,” he said.

Issue-based leadership

The former CJ noted that Kenyans, especially professionals, are increasingly disillusioned with divisive tribal politics and are yearning for issue-based leadership that promotes equality, accountability, and development for all communities.

“If you have your tribesman who is going to mind about stealing and enabling those around him to steal, the rest of the ethnic communities will remain where they are,” Maraga cautioned.

Maraga’s presidential bid

Maraga, although considered by a section of Kenyans as an underdog, is among the presidential candidates who are hoping to oust President William Ruto in 2027.

Those opposed to his presidential bid have argued that the former CJ lacks the financial muscle to battle it out for the country’s topmost seat.

However, political analyst Herman Manyora has stated that Maraga is the only individual who could be elected in 2027 without relying on vast financial resources.

Speaking on his channel in a video aired on Friday, August 20, 2025, he noted that any candidate with less than Ksh10 billion should leave the race to Maraga since he is the only one capable of winning without money, with Kenyans still willing to campaign for him.

“I want to tell the opposition, Rigathi Gachagua, Kalonzo Musyoka, Eugene Wamalwa, and Natembeya, unless you are Maraga, because Maraga has come out on a platform of people doing the campaign, so money is not important, but for the other ones, money is important, and it will be big money,” Manyora stated.

“But the problem is not money; they can have money. Gachagua can raise money; the problem, and I have said it before, is the capacity to spend that money.”