Former Kirinyaga Woman Representative Wangui Ngirici has declared that she will not vie for the Kirinyaga gubernatorial seat on an independent ticket as she did in 2022.

While speaking during a forum in Kirinyaga County in Karima on Friday, May 1, 2025, the Kirinyaga gubernatorial hopeful—who was recently sacked as the chairperson of Kenya Seed Company after switching camps and declaring her allegiance to the Wantam movement—stated that her 2022 independent bid was extremely draining.

She noted that the experience informed her current decision to seek a political party as her vehicle to realise her gubernatorial ambitions, saying that running as an independent was difficult and unsustainable.

“Siendi independent; last time niliona kupata kura na independent ni ngumu, nilinganganga sana.“

Ngirici, who was a member of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), became politically unsettled after Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru aligned herself with President William Ruto’s side, a move that created internal tensions within the party.

This situation prompted Ngirici, who had invested heavily in popularising UDA in the Mount Kenya region, to chart her own political path—an effort that ultimately hit a setback.

During the forum, she also addressed the recent revocation of her appointment by Finance Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi. She clarified that she was not formally sacked but had already submitted her resignation before declaring her allegiance to the Wantam movement. She added that she is currently awaiting approval of her resignation.

Kirinyaga politics

This comes at a time when the Kirinyaga gubernatorial race is getting hotter day by day. It has already attracted two other candidates: Ndia MP Kariuki George Macharia, who also doubles as the Roads and Transport National Assembly Committee Chair, and County Senator James Kamau Murango, whom former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua appeared to float as his preferred candidate for the Kirinyaga seat.

This development unsettled Ngirici, pushing her to come out and slam Gachagua, urging Kirinyaga locals not to allow a leader to be imposed on them.

Anne Waiguru’s political ambitions

Meanwhile, Anne Waiguru, who is serving her final term as Kirinyaga governor, has also appeared to be eyeing both the senatorial and deputy president positions, although she has not publicly declared her intentions. However, she has been speaking in a manner suggestive of harbouring ambitions for the second-in-command position.