Speaking on Citizen TV’s JKLive show, Kuria stated that his immediate focus is to reconnect with his political base as he eyes the presidential seat in the 2032 polls.
“I want to have fun, I’m going to vie for the Gatundu South MP seat where it all began,” said Kuria.
He added that his decision to join the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party is informed by his long-term presidential ambitions.
“Right now, I have joined the UDA party because I will be running for president in 2032,” Kuria noted.
“For me to do that, UDA provides a better value proposition because of its national reach. Gatundu people are great, but they can’t make me president alone.”
On the political direction of the Mt. Kenya region ahead of the 2027 polls, Kuria expressed confidence that the region would decide on who to back by April next year.
“I believe that by April next year, Mt. Kenya will make its decision. If Ruto becomes a Wantam president, he will become the leader of the opposition with a lot of influence; he will be a more lethal opposition leader than Raila. He will also come back in 2032 with kisirani,” he said.
On possible running mate scenarios within UDA, Kuria suggested that several figures, such as DP Kithure Kindiki, ODM party leader Dr Oburu Oginga, and ODM chairperson Gladys Wanga, remain in contention, albeit with varying chances.
“Kindiki may be retained; he has a mathematical chance of being retained. Maybe maybe not, fasten your seat belts, grab some popcorn. Oburu has a mathematical chance to be DP. He also wants power,” he noted.
“Hassan Joho knows his place on the food chain; he is not going to be an outlier. He is a very calculated, reasonable person; he is going to play inside the field. Joho has two chances of being a running mate, slim and none.”
On the question of leadership in Mt. Kenya, Kuria drew comparisons between former President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, arguing that political influence cannot be self-declared.
“The difference between Gachagua and Uhuru is like day and night. Uhuru never mentioned us by name when we had problems; that was grace, unlike today, where people are mentioning names. The difference in the pedigree is showing. Uhuru never declared himself to be the kingpin, kingpin-ship is earned, you can’t go out there declaring yourself kingpin,” Kuria said.
