Kibaki's nostalgia: Why Ndiritu Muriithi always seeks inspiration from his famous uncle

Kenya Reform Party leader Ndiritu Muriithi during the National Delegates Conference (NDC) 2026. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

When Ndiritu Muriithi, the former Laikipia governor, was in high school at Kagumo and Alliance, the person who keenly inspected his term report card was his aunt, Lucy Kibaki.

Muriithi recalled that she would remember every grade and any performance deviation would, expectedly, bring tough questions from the former Kambui Girls teacher.

Muriithi, who was orphaned by his father at an early age and was brought up in Laikipia West, grew up in the shadow of his famous uncle, who in 2002 became the third president of Kenya and almost miraculously rejuvenated a struggling economy, putting it firmly on a growth trajectory after over 10 years of dwindling fortunes and lost hope.

It's no wonder that economist Muriithi, currently chairing the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) board, can hardly complete any major political disposition without a reference to the Kibaki days or lessons from his famous professional senior.

"I know many of us are fond of asking what the magic of President Kibaki - A balanced budget, two-digit growth over three years- was. Why? The fiscal discipline. Because credit is finite and a balanced budget pushes finances to the households and the private sector. When they thrive, you actually collect more in taxes. Ask me, I should know," Muriithi, relating this to his Laikipia governor tenure, said at a parked Ufungamano House last Monday.

He spoke during a National Delegates Conference (NDC) which approved his takeover as the party leader of the Kenya Reform Party (KRP).

It was a symbolic takeover at a venue better known as the home where the second liberation unravelled.

But his elevation as party leader was also symbolic of the restlessness among the most independent political elites in the mountain region, which is politically unravelling again with the next elections a short 10 months away.

Vowing to stay clear of mere political sloganeering and name-calling, Muriithi took over the party with a grand dream to industrialise Kenya by 2035.

"Political parties are not a mere convenience for politicians. They are vehicles to seek the best ideas and consensus for national development," he said.

Speaking of the new challenge, which will be to beat Rigathi Gachagua's Democratic Congress Party (DCP) perceived stranglehold on Mount Kenya, Muriithi vowed to steer clear of name-calling and instead champion well-thought-out policies.

Gachagua has recently already gone out to publicly decampaign Muriithi and Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri in their own backyard and it will be interesting to see the responses.

"Democracy cannot work if you cannot accept that your neighbour may have a better idea than your own," he told the delegates.

He was also adamant that the party would not be a refuge for known economic saboteurs from anywhere in Kenya or those who may have had misdeeds in past offices.

"Counties can and must become the centres of mass production and affordable credit," he told the delegates. "We must all agree that no amount of name-calling can solve our problems at national or county levels."

The party also held elections, picking an expanded 30-man national office and a 20-member national Executive Council (NEC), up from 13 members.

Other than the party leader, newly created positions include three deputy party leaders, two national vice chairs and two assistant secretary generals.

A look at the approved lists for distribution of the new positions shows Muriithi's key allies firmly in the saddle of the party.

Some of the newly elected officials include Anthony Wagura as Secretary Political Affairs, Julius Sianga as chair of the PWD League, Zeinab Galma as chairperson of the Women's League, Wangari Machira as chair of the Business Council and Consolata Waweru as chair of the party Youth League.

Others are Kiama Mwanzi as Secretary Devolution, Samuel Murage as First National Deputy Party Leader and Jane Nampaso as Deputy Party Leader.

After a brief ruckus by a single delegate from Nairobi who claimed a lack of adequate consultations, the conference also approved the creation of new posts, including the party leader, three deputies and new deputies for national chairman and secretary general in an exercise presided over by the Registrar of Political Parties.

"NEC has been looking for a party leader for four years and we have declined many proposals. We have been looking for an untainted leader with national stature and of upright morals and with notable leadership credentials," said party chairman Mwangi Kahiro.

Muriithi later said of the protest by a party member: "We extend an olive branch to him but note that you got to subject yourself to a nomination to participate in an election."

The NDC also approved a resolution empowering its party leader and the NEC to explore partnerships and coalitions with parties of a similar intent, though Muriithi was careful not to slide into a debate on the 'one term -two term' divide for now.

NEC was also tasked to scout for five eminent Kenyans to serve as party Advisory Council and it appeared that Prof Nick Wanjohi, who was at the function, would most likely chair the apex panel. Prof Wanjohi served as Kibaki's private secretary in his last days.

Muriithi repeatedly referred to Prof Wanjohi as his mentor and teacher and it is instructive that the former University don and technocrat is a keen promoter of the core manufacturing vision adopted by the party.

The all-white party unveiled its core mission as "making manufacturing the driver of economic transformation by fully utilising Kenya's natural resources, developing competent human capital and enabling every citizen to participate in mass production."

The party envisages a situation where every ward shall host a factory and Kenya is able to produce what it consumes, leaving a large surplus for export.

KRP, which also approved resolutions to immediately embark on member recruitment and 2027 election preparedness, stated that it believed in job dignity and aimed for full decent employment of all Kenyans through production.

It seeks a shift from export of raw materials to finished goods and even that by using locally assembled machines.

It seeks to establish industrial parks in all 47 counties equipped with shared power, water, machinery and sheds that would be let to small and medium enterprises for Sh5,000 monthly, funded by a Sh150 billion Mass Production Fund.

A further Sh50 million per ward annually in seed capital will spur production hubs in all 1450 wards, driving agro-processing, light manufacturing and mining value addition.

The party pledges to turn all technical training institutes into production centres of machines needed to transform local production, noting that there is now at least one technical institute in each of the 290 constituencies.

A KRP government would also ensure 70 per cent of all government procurement consisted of made-in-Kenya goods.

Another pillar of its policy would see an immediate ban on the export of raw hides and skins, cashew nuts, avocado, macadamia nuts, raw fish and raw minerals.

Further pledges include establishment of a leather processing city in Machakos, avocado/macadamia oil park in central Kenya and fish, cashew nut and coconut processing parks in the coast and the Lake Region.

"We shall reduce industrial power costs by half from Sh18 to Sh9," said party chairman Mwangi Kahiro.

Kahiro also said the party would seek to give Kenyans ownership, with every family owning a share in mass production in the respective industries in their areas.

Muriithi said they would pursue "smart protection" of local industry and indigenous entrepreneurs, reasoning that dumping of foreign-produced goods posed the biggest threat to the manufacturing take-off.

They are promising to ensure that the country would not merely provide a channel for foreign investors to make and expatriate capital from the country.

Speaking at the event as a guest, Mombasa gubernatorial aspirant Suleiman Shabbal also indicated he was finally bolting out of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) for The New Democrats - formerly led by Nyeri gubernatorial aspirant Thuo Mathenge - which could be unveiled as a Coast party. "We welcome the formation of many small parties to break the tyranny of the big parties. Look at ODM, it kicked out Sifuna and Caleb Amisi. It wants to kick out Babu Owino. It will soon kick me out," said Shabbal.

He urged Kenyans to demand from all parties the evidence of their policies that would make life better for Kenyans rather than be hoodwinked by mere slogans."The KRP is lucky to have Muriithi as new party leader. Sometimes when I want to feel intelligent, I call him for a conversation," said Shabbal.