By Kenneth Wekesa, Kakamega
As the country awaits the electoral roadmap towards the August 2027 General Election, a 70-year-old farmer from Malava, Kakamega County, has declared his intention to run for the presidency of Kenya.Simon Musungu Liru, a sugarcane farmer from Shiamoni village in Kabras South, says he has decided to enter the presidential race to offer Kenyans a new model of leadership that puts citizens at the centre of decision-making, particularly farmers and small-scale traders across the country.
According to Musungu, the current leadership has failed to deliver on the expectations of ordinary Kenyans.
“Ruto has failed. I will deliver for Kenyans if given the mantle,” he said.
Speaking in Malava constituency, the veteran farmer said his proposed leadership would embrace a more participatory system in which citizens would have a greater say in decisions affecting their lives and the country’s future.
Photo|Simon Musungu, 2027 Presidential candidate
“My government will include everyone, unlike today’s government, where only one community is benefiting from the national cake,” Musungu said.
He has also appealed to political leaders across the country to support his presidential ambitions, arguing that Kenya needs new leadership systems capable of addressing the challenges facing ordinary citizens.Musungu said that if elected, he would prioritise better governance systems and greater public participation in national affairs.
“I want a leadership that involves citizens in decisions that affect them. Kenyans need better systems of governance, not greedy and wealthy individuals,” Musungu added.
He also said he intends to pick a running mate along the way, inviting anyone interested to seek him out for a conversation on how to transform Kenya’s economy.
His declaration comes as political activity gathers momentum ahead of the next General Election, with aspirants across the country positioning themselves for various elective seats.
For Musungu, however, the journey to the presidency begins at home in Malava, where the sugarcane farmer says he is ready to take his message of citizen-centred leadership to the rest of the country.
Musungu believes that, as a farmer, he is also a leader with the experience and goodwill Kenyans need.He added that he has served many people who he believes will vote for him come 2027.
“I believe in myself as a credible leader. When you look at my family, we are organised, and I will bring the same order to this country so that we have good governance,” he said.
He also took aim at the opposition, accusing them of being selfish and having spent years in government without delivering results. He said he does not recognise their efforts to criticise the current regime, claiming they are themselves facilitated by the same government they condemn.
“Some opposition members are government-owned. They cannot be relied on or even trusted, but I am the only credible option, and I have what it takes to outsmart President William Ruto,” he said.
His presidential ambition now places him among the Kenyans seeking to occupy the country’s highest elective office in the next election.