UHURU DISTANCES HIMSELF FROM POLITICAL SPONSORSHIP, RULES OUT SEEKING OFFICE Kitale.

Speaking on Sunday during the 23rd memorial service for the late former Vice-President Michael Kijana Wamalwa in Kitale, Trans Nzoia County, Kenyatta dismissed the “sponsor” label that has been repeatedly used by the government and its allies.  

“I don’t want to be called a sponsor; I have just said the power belongs to the people,” he told the gathering. “It’s the people who will decide. If they say it is Kalonzo, Ruto, Matiang’i, or Sifuna, it will be so.”

The retired head of state, who served two terms from 2013 to 2022, stressed that he has no interest in seeking any political seat. “People should not say that I am engaging in politics. I don’t have any interest in any seat,” he said, adding that he was content with the decade he spent in office and grateful to Kenyans for the opportunity.

His remarks came amid escalating political tension ahead of the 2027 General Election. President Ruto and members of the Kenya Kwanza administration have accused Kenyatta of financing opposition figures and movements, including elements linked to the Linda Mwananchi campaign, in an alleged bid to destabilise the government. Kenyatta’s appearance in Kitale, where he shared the platform with opposition leaders including Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka and DAP-K’s Eugene Wamalwa, had fuelled further speculation about his political role.



Kenyatta urged politicians to campaign peacefully and stop blocking rivals from holding meetings, warning that such actions risked taking the country backwards. “If you want votes, ask for them humbly. The people will give them to you or deny you,” he said, recalling his own experience of losing the 2002 presidential election before returning to win in 2013 and 2017.  

He emphasised that democratic freedoms were hard-won and must be protected. “We are a democratic society and those democratic ideals were fought for hard by the man we are honouring today,” he noted, referring to Wamalwa’s role in the struggle for multiparty democracy.

The former president also called on Kenyans not to allow themselves to be divided by political competition. “It is time for other people, and Kenyans will decide. Do not agree to be divided,” he said.

While the crowd responded with cheers—particularly when Sifuna’s name was mentioned—Kenyatta quickly cautioned against interpreting his comments as an endorsement of any candidate. His message remained consistent: he is not seeking office and does not wish to be portrayed as a political financier.

The exchange marks the latest public chapter in the strained relationship between Kenya’s fourth and fifth presidents. As the country moves closer to the next election cycle, Kenyatta’s insistence on voter sovereignty and his clear rejection of both the “sponsor” tag and personal political ambition are likely to shape the opposition’s messaging and the government’s response in the months ahead.