Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has intensified his 2027 presidential bid by holding public engagement forums around the country to gather inputs that will inform his vision and manifesto.
Senator Omtatah has so far convened a series of meetings in the vote-rich Mt. Kenya Region through his Presidential Exploratory Committee team to popularize his bid and collect views on how to formulate a people-centered blueprint.
Committee Chair Mary Kathomi said the team has so far been to Kiambu, Meru,Tharaka Nithi and Embu where the meeting forum was held on Wednesday.
“We want to localize the way Senator Omtatah’s Presidential bid will look by ensuring the views of Kenyans will inform his policy document and campaign manifesto,” she said.
She said the task has been gazetted for 18 months upon which the recommendations will have been collected, documented and a report handed over to Omtatah.
“It is the first time in the country where we have a presidential exploratory committee that is building its politics from the grassroots,” Kathomi said.
She noted that the most pressing concerns that have been raised in the areas they have visited are over-taxation, Social Health Authority (SHA) and Competence Based Curriculum (CBC) failures.
“Omtatah believes in a people-driven campaign to ensure such concerns raised by Kenyans are given a priority,” said Committee Member Duncan Onyango.
Omtatah’s move to penetrate Mt Kenya comes at a time when the region’s political scene is undergoing a major realignment following the ouster of Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
According to the committee, Omtatah comes in as an independent voice that could work to his advantage, especially among residents who feel shortchanged by the current regime.
One of the locals in Embu, Polycarp Ruri, urged Omtatah to stay the course, noting he was the only presidential candidate they had seen coming to the grassroots to gather public views.
“We are at a point where we the people ought to be the ones determining how the country will be run and not the leaders who should only be there as custodians of our proposals,” he said.
University student David Oganga said they have been yearning for a change including elimination of graft that has bled the nation and denied many young people a chance to eke a living.
