Roots Party leader George Wajackoyah has revealed that veteran trade unionist Francis Atwoli is his uncle, disclosing a close family relationship as he intensified his early 2027 presidential campaign.

Speaking during a televised interview on Sunday, May 24, 2026, Wajackoyah said Atwoli’s resilience and influence partly stem from their family ties, adding that anyone targeting the long-serving Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General would also be confronting him.

“Atwoli is my uncle; if you touch Atwoli, you touch me. Atwoli is my mum’s brother; they are cousins. That is why you see where this stamina comes from,” Wajackoyah said.

The outspoken politician also confirmed that he will contest the presidency in the next general election under the Roots Party banner, saying the party had already held its National Delegates Conference (NDC) in a Nairobi hotel as part of preparations for the race.

“I am running for president. Yesterday I had my NDC in a five-star hotel, and it was packed. We Roots Party are running for president,” he said.

Wajackoyah used the occasion to distance himself from both pro-government and opposition political formations, declaring that his party belongs to what he described as the “no-term” movement.

“We decided to be a no-term party. I am no-term. We are the new group of no-term, we are on our own,” he said.

In a sharp attack on Kenya’s political class, Wajackoyah accused both President William Ruto’s allies and opposition leaders of failing Kenyans through corruption, political divisions and poor governance.

“What is one term? What do they have? As Roots Party, we have not seen it apart from sitting down, wanadivide nchi, huyu atakuwa Prime Minister alafu in the afternoon, Ruto must go,” he said.

“Ukienda kwa two-term, what have they done? Corruption, looting from the country, and killing innocent kids. I do not want to be associated with a driver who is reckless.”

Wajackoyah also dismissed recent opinion polls that have excluded him from the list of top presidential contenders, alleging that some pollsters manipulate rankings for money.

“The people who own those polls are people from a specific environment; they are from a specific school of thought,” he claimed.

“I have been asked before for money, Ksh2 million to give so that my name could be included. I said hell no. I cannot buy. I am already known, I don’t even need a billboard.”

The former presidential candidate rose to national prominence during the 2022 elections after campaigning on unconventional policies, including the commercialisation of marijuana and snake farming as alternative revenue streams for Kenya’s economy.

His latest remarks come as political realignments begin taking shape ahead of the 2027 elections, with several opposition figures positioning themselves against President Ruto while new political movements attempt to carve out space in the country’s evolving political landscape.