In the run-up to the 2022 elections, Kimani Wamatangi, then senator for Kiambu, kept people guessing on which side of the political divide he was leaning.

At that time, there were two distinct political formations: Azimio la Umoja comprising Jubilee, ODM and Wiper parties, among others and Kenya Kwanza, fronted by President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Amani National Congress (ANC) and Ford Kenya headed by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula.

However, Wamatangi who had declared he would be in the Kiambu gubernatorial race, remained in the Jubilee party under which he was serving his second term as Senator until the last few months of the electioneering period only to cross over to UDA and consequently win the seat.

It remains to be seen whether he will choose to follow the same path this time as he goes all out to defend his seat in the 2027 elections and hopefully secure his second term amid opposition from among others, Thika MP Alice Ng’ang’a who is a staunch Ruto ally.

Ng’ang’a has positioned herself as the likely sole UDA candidate for the gubernatorial seat so far, as no other politician from the party has shown interest.

The other aspirant seen as a strong contender is businessman John Mwaura who has aligned himself with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP).

Wamatangi fall out from UDA

Recent utterances by Wamatangi suggest that he may have parted ways with the ruling party and is likely to defend the seat on another vehicle or possibly run independently.

This is the position many politicians in Mt. Kenya region are taking owing to the big fallout with UDA, originating from Gachagua’s ouster that is seen by locals as betrayal by the very government they helped put into power.

Speaking during an empowerment event for Boda Boda saccos in Kiambaa constituency sponsored by the county administration last Friday, June 4, 2026, the Governor maintained that he will not be pressured into joining any party, insisting that the people of Kiambu will determine the direction of his political future when the time comes.

“No amount of persecution, blackmail or threats from any quarters will force me into political alignments ahead of the next elections. I will follow the will of the people of Kiambu,” Wamatangi said.

“They had even attempted to assassinate me one Sunday afternoon when a gunman hiding in the bushes near my home shot in the air as I came back from church,”They wanted to coerce me to abandon my duties and don party attires while engaging in meaningless political battles, but I am focused on serving the people of Kiambu.”

Wamatangi political stand

In a rather defiant stance, Wamatangi insists that leadership decisions should be guided by the electorate and not personal interests or orders from elsewhere.

“When the time comes, the people of Kiambu will give me the direction to which political party I will join. No amount of persecution, blackmail, or threats from any quarters will force me to join political factions and engage in unnecessary politicking,” he declared.

At the beginning of this year, in January, Wamatangi suffered a major blow when his vehicle trade premises in Nairobi was flattened by bulldozers during a demolition supervised by a heavy police presence, incurring a huge financial loss.