Former Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) chairman Macharia Njeru has announced his intention to run for president in the 2027 General Election.
Njeru made the announcement on Monday, October 5, joining the growing number of politicians and professionals positioning themselves to succeed President William Ruto.
“The journey begins. Today, I officially announce my bid for the Presidency of the Republic of Kenya,” Njeru said.
The lawyer served as IPOA’s first chairman from 2012 to 2016 before returning to private practice.
Why Njeru wants to enter politics
Njeru said his decision to seek the presidency followed questions from friends and family about why professionals with experience in public institutions often avoid politics.
He questioned why people who have spent their careers defending public institutions shy away from a field that is often described as difficult and dirty.
According to Njeru, the reluctance of what he described as “good people” to join politics has contributed to the choices available to Kenyan voters.
He argued that this has left citizens choosing between what he termed “the bad and the worse” during elections.
The former IPOA chairman also pointed to challenges facing Kenyans more than six decades after independence.
He noted that women and children in some parts of the country still have to walk long distances in search of water, while patients in hospitals are sometimes asked to buy basic supplies such as gloves.
Njeru also raised concerns about the employment situation facing young people.
He cited the 2026 African Youth Outlook report, which he said showed that 91.5 per cent of young people were working in the informal sector, including jobs such as roasting maize and washing cars.
He said some graduates with university and master’s degrees had also ended up working as watchmen or in construction.
Criticises voting patterns
Njeru, who has in recent months criticised some government policies, blamed what he described as poor leadership for some of the challenges facing the country.
He said Kenyans sometimes vote based on emotions rather than assessing candidates on their integrity and ability to govern.
According to him, voters then become unhappy with their leaders, replace them and repeat the same cycle during subsequent elections.
On the economy, Njeru warned that Kenya was at risk of an economic crisis because of what he described as a widening gap between government revenue and expenditure.
He claimed that the country collects about Ksh2.8 trillion in taxes but spends Ksh4.5 trillion, leaving the government to borrow an additional Ksh1.5 trillion.
Njeru said Kenya has enough skilled people to turn around the country’s fortunes if they are given the opportunity to serve.
The lawyer has practised commercial law for 35 years and has also chaired bank boards in Rwanda and Uganda.
He said he plans to take his campaign across the country as he seeks to convince Kenyans to support his bid.
Njeru, however, has not yet disclosed the political vehicle he will use to contest the presidency or how he intends to finance his campaign.
He is expected to provide more details about his presidential bid later on Monday.
