Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has kicked off his consultative tour of the Gusii region.
Matiang’i, who recently jetted back into the country from the United States, embarked on the tour, which will see him traverse Kijauri, Keroka, Keumbu, Kisii town, Chepilat, Kemera, Kebirigo, Ekerenyo, and Nyamira.
Kisii town was at a standstill, with anticipation building up in the town’s Central Business District (CBD) ahead of the leader’s tour.
Local leaders, including UDA-nominated senator Gloria Orwoba and Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka, were seen in a convoy drumming up support ahead of the tour on Friday, May 2, 2025.
Other leaders present in the tour are Clive Ombane Gisairo and former Nyaribari Chache MP Richard Tong’i.
Matiang’i’s itinerary was revealed by Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo on Thursday, May 1, 2025, when he indicated that the former Interior Cabinet Secretary would be consulting with locals on his presidential ambitions of 2027.
“On Friday, May 2, 2025, presidential candidate Fred Matiang’i will tour his birthplace of Gusii. His public rallies begin at Nyansiongo at 9:00 am, proceed to Keroka, and make a brief stop at Kembu,” Nyaribo stated.
“Matiang’i will then hold a huge rally at the Kisii Central Business District (CBD) next to the roundabout before proceeding to Ekonge Market, where he will address members of the public as well.”
Consultative tour
“Matiang’i is a peaceful person with an intention of vying for the presidency in the 2027 general elections. But before declaring his intentions, it is important that he consults locally and widely before making the choice,” Nyaribo noted.
“We urge members of the public to turn up in their numbers to listen to and meet Matiang’i during his tour of the region,” Nyaribo urged.
The tour comes just days after Matiang’i appeared to have joined forces with major opposition figures, including Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka, DAP-Kenya Party leader Eugene Wamalwa, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, former Cabinet Secretaries Mithika Linturi and Justin Muturi, and People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua, among other leaders.
While the Jubilee Party has endorsed Matiang’i as its presidential flag-bearer for the 2027 general election, the former Cabinet Secretary is yet to publicly declare his intention for the office on the hill.
“We will commit ourselves before the people of Kenya that amongst ourselves as presidential candidates, we shall sit together and settle on a single candidate to battle it out with President William Ruto,” Gachagua stated during an interview.