Ndia Member of Parliament George Kariuki has stated that the outcome of the 2027 General Election will largely be determined in the Mount Kenya region, arguing that political momentum in the area will play a decisive role in shaping the next president.

Speaking during a recent interview on Saturday, May 30, 2026, Kariuki—who also chairs the National Assembly Roads and Infrastructure Committee—said the 2027 race is likely to mirror the 2022 elections, where the eventual winner of the presidency benefited significantly from strong support in Mount Kenya.

‘2027 will be won and lost in Mt Kenya.’

He argued that in Kenya’s political arithmetic, the region remains one of the most influential voting blocs, warning that any candidate who secures as many as five million votes from Mount Kenya would have a significant advantage that would be difficult for rivals to overturn in the national tally.

However, Kariuki was quick to add that this dynamic may not necessarily disadvantage President William Ruto. He described Ruto as a strategic and experienced politician who understands how to organise and mobilise support across the country.

Mt Kenya and Gachagua

Ndia MP George Kariuki has also explained why it is difficult to counter former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua in the Mt Kenya region.

While speaking during an interview on Herman Manyora’s podcast on Friday, May 30, 2026, the Roads and Infrastructure Committee chairperson explained that Gachagua has been exciting the masses in the Mt Kenya region through his use of the Kikuyu native language in his addresses, something that has put him ahead of his competitors.

Tribal dynamics

While citing former South African President Nelson Mandela’s famous saying that when you speak to a man in a foreign language, you speak to his head, but when you speak to him in his native language, you speak to his heart, the Ndia MP said this is exactly what has been happening in the Mt Kenya region.

“You know, it was Nelson Mandela who said that when you speak to a man in a foreign language, it gets to his head, but when you speak to him in his native language, it gets to his heart.”