According to sources, Wanjiru has been pushing President Ruto’s administration to consider her for lucrative state positions. She, along with the Nairobi brigade comprising Mount Kenya leaders, has been pushing the president to appoint them to key jobs in government like CSs, however, President Ruto has remained steadfast and has declined to consider their request
By The Weekly Vision Team
Recent developments in the city reveal a strained working relationship between former Starehe MP Bishop Margaret Wanjiru of Jesus Is Alive Ministries church and top Kenya Kwanza government officials. Reports have since emerged, just days after a part of Wanjiru’s church was destroyed in a targeted attack, indicating serious political fallout between the bishop and some senior government officials.
According to well-informed sources familiar with the behind-the-scenes talks between Margaret Wanjiru and a high-ranking leader in Kenya Kwanza, the main point of contention has been her continuous insistence on being considered for a state position after the courts declared her appointment as CAS for the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, along with others, as null and void. Sources say Wanjiru, who had initially expressed interest in running for the gubernatorial seat in Nairobi, was forced to step down for Governor Sakaja, a move that she claims was meant to throw her into the political wilderness.
She was later pushed to run for the senatorial seat, which she lost to ODM’s Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, who garnered 716,651 votes against her 524,091 votes. Following President Ruto’s elevation as President, Wanjiru held optimistic expectations of securing a position in the Cabinet, given her previous role as an assistant minister in the Grand Coalition government. Regrettably, her aspirations were not realized. Subsequently, she applied for the Principal Secretary’s position, but unfortunately for her, luck was not on her side for the second time. She then opted for a sabbatical away from politics, only to re-emerge solely upon her appointment as the CAS responsible for cooperatives and SMEs.
According to sources, Wanjiru has been pushing President Ruto’s administration to consider her for lucrative state positions. She, along with the Nairobi brigade comprising Mount Kenya leaders, has been pushing the president to appoint them to key jobs in government like CSs, however, President Ruto has remained steadfast and has declined to consider their request.
Some Mount Kenya supporters have even urged President Ruto to consider her for a more prominent government position, arguing that she possesses exceptional grassroots mobilization skills and has previously served as a Starehe MP. Furthermore, they highlight her significant contribution as Ruto’s lead campaigner in Nairobi during the last general elections.
Speculation has arisen regarding a circle of individuals surrounding Ruto who are actively working on assembling a new team for the Nairobi 2027 elections. Unconfirmed reports indicate that Wanjiru is not part of the Ruto 2027 strategy for Nairobi. It is alleged that, due to her three consecutive election losses, she has become out of touch with the grassroots and is deemed unreliable for securing any seats in 2027.
Sources indicate that Ruto’s team is actively considering the prospect of finding an eligible contender to vie for the senatorial seat under UDA, emphasizing that the individual should come from the mountain region.
There is widespread speculation about the women’s Rep position, with suggestions that if Nairobi Women Rep. Esther Pasaris was to defect and seek re-election on the UDA ticket, it would hinder Bishop from running for an elective position in Nairobi under UDA in 2027.
However, there is a possibility that Bishop could also defect and re-join ODM, enabling her to compete for the women’s rep’s seat if Pasaris chooses to join UDA.
