NAIROBI, Kenya- The Njuri Ncheke Council of Elders has endorsed Deputy President Kithure Kindiki as President William Ruto’s running mate in the 2027 General Election, while formally installing him as the spokesperson of the Mt Kenya community.
The endorsement was made during a major gathering at the Njuri Ncheke shrine in Nchiru, Meru County, on Friday, August 7, 2026, where thousands of elders gathered for a traditional ceremony centred on leadership, unity and the future of the region.
The elders designated Kindiki as their link to the national government and endorsed his continuation as Ruto’s running mate in the next General Election scheduled for August 7, 2027.
The move gives Kindiki a fresh political endorsement from one of the region’s influential traditional institutions as competition over the political direction of Mt Kenya intensifies ahead of the 2027 elections.
The endorsement also elevates Kindiki’s position in the region beyond his role as Deputy President, placing him at the centre of efforts to articulate the political and socio-economic interests of the Mt Kenya community.
Kindiki said he had responded to a summons by the Njuri Ncheke Supreme Council of Ameru Elders, describing the gathering as a significant traditional ceremony.
According to the Deputy President, about 20,000 elders from Meru and Tharaka Nithi attended the event.
Kindiki said the elders had also committed themselves to reaching out to traditional leaders from other parts of Kenya in an effort to promote national unity, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.
“The elders pledged to reach out to other traditional leaders and elders from the length and breadth of this country to build bridges of friendship and to strengthen national unity and reconciliation,” Kindiki said.
Kindiki’s political standing in Mt Kenya
The latest endorsement builds on the council’s longstanding association with Kindiki.
The Njuri Ncheke installed Kindiki as the Ameru community’s spokesperson in 2015, when he was serving as Tharaka Nithi Senator. The council later reaffirmed his position as its political pointman and link to the national government.
In September 2024, more than 2,000 elders from Meru and Tharaka Nithi endorsed Kindiki as their kingpin and spokesman, describing him as the link between Mt Kenya East and President Ruto’s administration.
Friday’s ceremony therefore represents a renewed and more politically consequential endorsement as the country moves closer to the 2027 elections.
The declaration comes amid a wider contest for political influence in Mt Kenya, particularly between Kindiki and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Kindiki has in recent months emerged as a central figure in the political realignment of Mt Kenya East, with sections of leaders and elders positioning him as the region’s principal link to the national government.
The Njuri Ncheke endorsement now gives the Deputy President another significant political platform from which to campaign for the retention of the Ruto-Kindiki ticket.
For President Ruto, the endorsement could also strengthen his efforts to consolidate support in Mt Kenya ahead of the 2027 election, although the final decision on the presidential ticket remains a political decision for Ruto and his coalition.
The elders’ declaration nonetheless sends a clear message on the candidate they want to see alongside Ruto when Kenyans return to the ballot next year.
