Reincarnated from long standing political cold, William Kabogo, the Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and the Digital Economy is back in politics as the self-confessed ‘new sheriff in town’ in the populous Mt Kenya region.

Tasked by the appointing authority with calming a restless mountain whose hate for the Kenya Kwanza government has been on a rising trajectory since the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua, Kabogo is leaving nothing to chance.

Two weeks after he assumed office as CS, Kabogo has become a lover of the media, a strong tool for shaping public opinion and agenda.

Interestingly, while his two counterparts whom he was sworn-in with – Mutahi Kagwe (Agriculture) and Lee Kinyanjui (Investments Trade and Industry) -have maintained a low key presence, Kabogo has hit the political ground running promising to reverse the displeasure in Central against President William Ruto.

In his recent tour of a local TV station, Kabogo borrowed the title of a reggae song by Ambelique to declare himself as the New Sheriff in Town – to mean he is President Ruto’s voice of influence in Central.

“I am causing a lot of heat right now in the mountain. It is true I am the sheriff in town,” he declared.

In an apparent shift of positions, President Ruto appears to have restored the political life of Kabogo to occupy the gap of a commander who can drive his agendas in the mountain and win back the lost trust with a people who used to praise him as their own.

Initially, the position seems to have been held by the belligerent Kimani Ichung’wah , the National Assembly Majority Leader who did less to win back the livid Mt Kenya residents whose are yet to recover from the onslaught on Gachagua.

“When there is a gap, people occupy it but when they see that the gap is gonna shift, there are a lot of worries. I will continue speaking to the mountain,” added Kabogo.

In the count down to the impeachment of Gachagua, Ichung’wa had styled himself as the bona fide spokesperson of Mt Kenya as he took on the former DP with gusto, projecting himself as Dr Ruto’s number one loyalist.

But after facing hostility from the grassroots over his vocal stand on President Ruto, Ichung’wa has of late appeared to go slow, perhaps leaving the stage for Kabogo. Ironically, several MPs from Mt Kenya allied to President Ruto either make technical appearances in their constituencies, or operate from their Nairobi offices due to the hostility on the ground.

Man on a mission

“Kabogo appears to be a man on a mission to fill the void left after Gachagua’s impeachment. He carries himself out as if he wants to be the President’s point man in the region, something that may be difficult to achieve,” says Dr Martin Oloo, a political science lecturer at the University of Nairobi.

Dr Oloo adds that Kabogo could be acting out of excitement, having been in the political cold for almost seven years.

After attending a church service at PCEA Murera church in Juja last Sunday, Kabogo who addressed journalists was quick to beseech people from the Mountain to tone down hostility towards President Ruto.

He expressed his displeasure at growing hostility towards the President where locals have severally refused to listen to his speeches.

“This attitude where certain government officials are shouted down is not good for the welfare of the region. When I come to you and you shout at me or throw stones, am I likely to come back?

… If you were the President and you heard that when your name was mentioned in a certain place and people shouted, would you take development there?” Kabogo posed.

Fearless and dramatic, the new cheerleader of President Ruto and whose political life had been written off by many after he failed to clinch Kiambu’s gubernatorial position in 2022, has a daunting task ahead of him.

Rise and fall journey

Born at Komothai village in Githunguri constituency, Kabogo burst onto the political scene in 2002 when he sought the Kanu ticket for the Juja Parliamentary seat, then held by incumbent Stephen Ndichu, who was running under Kanu’s presidential candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta.

Although Kabogo lost that election, he quickly switched to the lesser-known Sisi Kwa Sisi party and successfully defeated Ndichu in the General Elections.

He would regain the position in the 2010 by-election after a successful court petition, only to become the first Kiambu governor under the 2010 constitution, a position he held until 2017 when he was defeated by Ferdinand Waititu in the Jubilee Party’s gubernatorial nominations.

Following the setback, he left the Jubilee Party and announced his intention to contest the governorship as an independent candidate.

Waititu ultimately won the election, sending Kabogo packing until his recent appointment by President Ruto to head one of the key positions in his government.

Kabogo is also tasked with delivering the last-mile fibre optic network and 100 digital centres of excellence alongside 1,450 digital hubs in every ward across the country. The government has been hoping to use the digital and creative economy strategy to help thousands of jobless Kenyans acquire opportunities in the digital space.

But even before he settles, Kabogo is already facing criticism of reportedly planning to switch off social media to stem protests from young people who have expressed their displeasure with the government. Speaking from both sides of his mouth, Kabogo now says such a plan can only be implemented if national security is threatened.

“The capacity is there in case we have situations of national security importance. For example, you know what happened to Rwanda when the radios were used for genocide purposes. If that happens, we will switch them off,” Kabogo who addressed journalists in Eldoret after the Annual Data Privacy Conference, commemorating Data Privacy Day 2025 stated.