Borabu parliamentary aspirant Morara Kebaso says 2027 Jubilee Party’s presidential hopeful Fred Matiang’i met more than 10,000 opinion shapers across Mt Kenya last week.

Through a post on X on Monday, July 26, 2026, Kebaso said the meetings showed Matiang’i was quietly building a grassroots campaign before formally intensifying his 2027 presidential bid.

“I never knew that Dr Fred Matiang’i is such a lethal and strategic politician,” Kebaso wrote on X.

“Last week alone, he met over 10,000 key opinion shapers in different meetings across the Mt Kenya region.”

Kebaso did not provide a breakdown of the meetings or attendance records supporting the figure.

Matiang’i’s campaign had also not independently published the cumulative number by the time of publication.

Kebaso praises Matiang’i’s strategy

Kebaso said large public rallies created political excitement but were not enough to build a successful presidential campaign.

He argued that candidates must establish networks at the ward and community levels.

“Crowds are good for hype and entertainment,” he said.

“Anyone who wants to be president must do very serious grassroots mobilisation like Matiang’i and have a track record of excellent performance that the voter can look at.”

Kebaso said Matiang’i’s quiet approach could leave his opponents unprepared once the Jubilee Party leader begins full-scale campaigning.

The remarks come days after Kebaso endorsed Matiang’i’s presidential bid.

He described the former Cabinet secretary as the opposition politician best placed to address Kenya’s challenges.

Matiang’i targets Mt Kenya grassroots

Matiang’i has recently held meetings with women leaders from Kiambu, Jubilee aspirants from Nyeri and other community groups in Mt Kenya.

During the engagements, he has focused on rebuilding Jubilee Party structures and preparing ward-level networks ahead of 2027.

He previously announced that his presidential campaign would use ward-by-ward and house-to-house mobilisation instead of depending only on national rallies.

An Infotrak poll released on July 13 placed Matiang’i at 19 per cent among presidential candidates in Central Kenya.

Kalonzo Musyoka followed with 13 per cent, while President William Ruto and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had 12 per cent each.

Kebaso challenged other opposition leaders to strengthen their grassroots campaigns instead of relying on media visibility and rally attendance.

“This is a challenge to all of us in the opposition for each one to pull up their socks,” he said.