Roots Party leader George Wajackoyah has officially announced that he will contest the presidency in the 2027 General Election, insisting that he never stepped away from politics after the 2022 polls despite claims that he had disappeared from the public spotlight.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, Wajackoyah said his party has spent the past few years quietly building support networks and mobilising supporters across the country in preparation for the next election cycle.
The former presidential candidate explained that the Roots Party deliberately adopted a low-profile strategy after the 2022 election, choosing to focus on grassroots organisation rather than maintaining a constant presence in national political debates.
According to Wajackoyah, the party has been carrying out its activities away from media attention, describing its approach as operating “chini ya maji” while steadily strengthening its structures nationwide.
“We decided to be an underground party, the Sinn Féin. We decided to do things silently without making noise,” he said.
Wajackoyah used the interview to formally confirm that he will once again seek the country’s top seat in 2027 under the Roots Party ticket. He revealed that party delegates had already endorsed his candidature during a recent National Delegates Conference attended by members from across the country.
“I am running for President. Yesterday I had my NDC in a five-star hotel and it was packed. We Roots Party are running for President,” he stated.
The outspoken politician also reflected on his experience during the 2022 presidential race, where many Kenyans viewed him as an outsider in a contest dominated by larger political parties and established political figures.
His campaign attracted significant attention at the time due to its unconventional style and his controversial proposal to legalise hemp as part of a broader economic transformation agenda.
While the proposals generated widespread discussion, critics often dismissed his candidature as political theatre rather than a serious challenge for power.
Asked whether he had been treated as comic relief during the 2022 campaign, Wajackoyah readily agreed.
“Definitely they were,” he said.
However, he argued that perceptions of his political movement are gradually changing as more Kenyans engage with the party’s ideas and long-term vision.
Drawing inspiration from historical political thinkers and leaders, Wajackoyah cited both Mahatma Gandhi and Niccolò Machiavelli to illustrate what he described as the natural progression of transformative political movements.
“The first day they despise you, the second day they spit on you, the third day they get shocked, the fourth day they listen to you and the fifth day they join you,” he said.
As political parties begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election, Wajackoyah maintained that the Roots Party’s message is steadily gaining support and that its influence continues to expand beyond what many observers may realise.
With his latest declaration, the lawyer-turned-politician becomes one of the earliest candidates to publicly confirm a presidential bid for 2027, setting the stage for what is expected to be an increasingly competitive race in the coming months.
