Ex-IPOA boss Njeru launches State House bid with promise of clean hands

Former IPOA Chairperson Macharia Njeru during the launch of his presidential bid for the 2027 General Election at Ufungamano House, Nairobi, on October 5, 2026. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

The number of presidential candidates who have declared interest in running for the 2027 General Election continues to rise, with the latest entrant being Advocate Macharia Njeru.

“Today (Monday), before God and before you, I declare my intention to run for the office of President of Kenya in August 10, 2027 General Election. I will take every legal and constitutional step to present myself to you as a candidate for President. I know the size of this undertaking. And I know that I will not undertake it alone,” Macharia said when he launched his bid at Ufungamano House in Nairobi.

Macharia said the founders of the country paid a high price to free it from colonial rule but 63 years later, three major ‘enemies’ namely poverty, disease and ignorance are still lagging Kenya behind, in addition to greed.

“A few grew rich at the expense of the many. The public interest was sold for private gain. Corruption, tribalism and cronyism took root. The dream was betrayed. But Kenyans have never taken betrayal lying down,” Njeru said.

But out of darkness, he said the Constitution 2010 was born with heaps of promises lined up to change the country for good.

In the Constitution, he said, the promise that no more than two-thirds of any elective or appointive body would be of one gender was made, in addition to giving people with disabilities their place in public life and for the young people, being granted education, work and a voice.

However, he regretted that 16 years later a lot has been amiss, for instance the law to give full effect to the two-thirds gender principle has still not been passed.

“In 2020, the Chief Justice advised the President to dissolve Parliament over that failure. In 2022, Kenyans elected seven women governors out of forty-seven. Those are empty chairs too. Seats promised to women, to young people and to Kenyans with disability, then quietly kept for somebody else,” he noted.

Also of concern to Njeru is Chapter Six, on leadership and integrity, which states that public office is a public trust and leaders must be chosen for their integrity, competence and suitability, and answer to the people for every decision they take.

Njeru said 16 years down the line, Chapter Six has been treated as a suggestion.

As he launched his bid, Macharia said he is committing to build a Kenya where institutions work, opportunities are accessible to all, and leadership is defined by integrity, competence, and accountability.

Njeru was born at Kapsabet in Nandi County in February 1968.

He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from University of Nairobi, Post-graduate Diploma in Law – Kenya School of Law, Notary Public, Commissioner for Oaths and is a Certified Public Secretary.

For more than three decades, Njeru has built a career as a lawyer, governance expert, and reform leader.

As a Senior Advocate of Kenya with over 35 years’ experience spanning multiple legal disciplines, he has advised businesses, institutions, and individuals across East Africa on legal, commercial, and governance matters.

Beyond his legal practice, he helped lead police reforms under the Constitution of Kenya 2010, served as first Chairman of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and also served as the Vice-Chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

“I am 58 years old. This is not the Kenya I want to leave to our children and grandchildren. Some people say to me: “Macharia, you are too clean and our politics is dirty. Why get involved?” Others tell me: “You are not a politician. This is not for you,” he noted.

Njeru, however, said he understands why such questions arise, noting that when good people stay out of politics, they hand the country to those who do not care.

“If our politics is dirty, it does not need more dirty hands. Not corrupt hands. Not divisive hands. It needs clean hands. I have come to offer mine. I refuse to do nothing. I refuse to stand on the sidelines and merely complain. I refuse to accept that bad leadership is our destiny,” Njeru insisted.

According to Njeru, Kenya has the potential to compete with the very best in the world and become one of Africa’s leading nations.

He said it is possible to give every child a quality public education, provide affordable, high-quality, fit-for-purpose healthcare, provide security in every part of the country, make farming a source of prosperity, and to put affordable credit in the hands of small businesses, many of them run by women and young people.

“I stand before you as a patriot, ready to sacrifice and ready to serve. This is not about power. It is not about titles. It is not about money. It is about restoring order, rebuilding trust, and filling empty chairs,” he stated.

He also dreams to ensure that half of his Cabinet will be women, where the two thirds gender principle will be the floor, not the ceiling, warning that any person who threatens a woman for daring to lead will meet the full force of the law.

Njeru did not forget the Gen Zs and Millennials.

Njeru said three in every four Kenyans are under thirty-five and they should not be the edge of this but the centre of the country and will sit where national decisions are made: in the Cabinet, on the boards of our public institutions, and in every room where their future is decided.

He also said the Constitution promises that at least five per cent of public bodies will be persons with disabilities, which he seeks to fully implement.

“In every appointment I make, the promise will be kept. Nothing about you, without you. Every person I appoint will be measured against Chapter Six before the appointment, not after the scandal.

He said this is the moment to occupy Parliament, every county assembly, governors and Woman Representative seats with people of integrity, valour, vision and results.

 “We will not occupy with stones. We will not occupy with fire. We will not force a single gate. Article 1 of our Constitution says that all sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya. We the People. For too long it has sat in a drawer at home. Today, we take it out,” he uttered.

“No one can abduct the vote in your hand. No one can tear gas it. No one can beat it. No one can make it disappear in the night. Your vote fills that seat. Your vote occupies.”

He urged Kenyans who are eligible to vote and have not yet registered to do so and on August 10, 2027, every elective seat can be occupied with leaders that Kenya deserve.

Njeru, however, acknowledged that the road will be long, with setbacks and with people who would want them to fail.

“Freedom from colonial rule looked impossible. Multiparty democracy looked impossible. A new Constitution looked impossible. We did it then. We can do it again. Sote Pamoja, Tunaweza (we can do it together,” he affirmed.

Njeru who intends to run on Mwongozo Mpya party, said he is opposed to ethnic blocks coalescing together.

“It is not just about elections, I detest tribalism because I have never understood why anyone would think that the way to govern a country and relate with each other is by being tribal. It is possible to be fair to everyone, don’t put aside the rights of anyone, be fair to all,” he insisted.

On the possibility of working with other political coalitions, Njeru said it would be in the interest of the country to ultimately have one candidate to compete with the incumbent, President William Ruto.

He said there is a tendency in the country of electing people with emotions, which pushes people to focus on removing a leader as opposed to picking an objective and quality leader.

“For me, that is not where the conversation should start, it should start by defining the qualities we are looking for in this person, who would ultimately be a joint presidential candidate. We end up picking just anyone, who is granted the instruments of power and another cycle of anger starts. For how long will this continue?” he posed.

He said there is need for change but keenly scrutinize that single candidate to ensure a functional country is in place, adding that it is a conversation he is willing to enter but still held that he is qualified for the job.