A section of supporters of former Meru Governor Peter Munya has declared support for Meru Senator Kathuri Murungi’s 2027 gubernatorial bid, days after he announced his intention to contest for the county’s top seat.
The supporters, who spoke during a gathering in Muthara, said they had settled on Kathuri after considering the various aspirants seeking to succeed the current county leadership, citing his development record and leadership approach.
John Nkari, a resident, said the group acknowledged Munya as one of their own but had decided to support Kathuri, arguing that residents wanted tangible development rather than political rhetoric.
The endorsement comes as political realignments begin to take shape ahead of the 2027 Meru gubernatorial election, with Kathuri’s supporters seeking to build backing across different regions of the county.
Kathuri declared to run for Governor on Friday last week.
“We acknowledge we have our own son here, Peter Munya, but we don’t want magic kind of politics anymore. We demand service delivery in terms of development, not rhetoric politics. We from today declare Kathuri is our gubernatorial candidate in 2027,” Nkari said.
He added that the group had assessed the available gubernatorial aspirants but felt none had met their expectations, pointing to what he described as Kathuri’s development track record.
Their position was echoed by Pastor Shadrack Muthaura, who questioned why residents continued to demand development despite the area having produced Munya, the first governor of Meru County.
“If strangers are the ones to develop this area and Meru, then let it be. We won’t allow an arrogant person to take the seat again. We want a respectful and humble person in the likes of Kathuri. Politics has no someone’s bedroom. We can’t be colonised. Muthara is democratic,” Muthaura said.
Florah Njeri also endorsed Kathuri, describing him as accountable, transparent and accessible to residents.
She cited his reported efforts to support bright but vulnerable students through education sponsorship programmes, as well as his involvement in addressing insecurity in Meru’s Northern Grazing Zones.
Njeri said the residents would support Kathuri’s gubernatorial bid and urged him to consider selecting his running mate from the Tigania region.
“We demand Kathuri to pick his deputy from Tigania and we will overwhelmingly vote for you. Kathuri, you are very welcome in Muthara. Let him hold his first campaign rally at Muthara,” she said.
The group also called on the senator to consider holding his first campaign rally in Muthara, saying the move would demonstrate his commitment to the area.
