Roots Party leader George Wajackoyah has ruled out dropping his 2027 presidential bid, saying he remains determined to run for State House even as opposition leaders explore ways of working together under a possible joint ticket.
Speaking during an interview with K24 TV on Monday, August 17, 2026, Wajackoyah said his decision to seek the presidency had not changed and made it clear that he would not step aside to back another opposition candidate.
Wajackoyah pointed to the Roots Party's status as a registered political party with a presidential candidate, signalling that he intends to take his campaign to voters as other opposition parties discuss possible alliances ahead of the 2027 General Election.
“Now, with my grassroots mobilisation, without prejudice, I am on the ballot. I am running for president.”
His declaration adds another layer to the efforts by opposition leaders to build a united front ahead of the next election. Several politicians are expected to weigh their individual ambitions against possible coalition arrangements, including the question of who would lead a combined opposition ticket.
Wajackoyah, however, said he was not basing his presidential campaign on political negotiations or opinion polls. Instead, he said his focus was on building support directly among Kenyans through grassroots mobilisation.
The Roots Party leader also dismissed concerns about opinion polls that have not featured him prominently, saying his campaign was not designed to win the approval of pollsters.
“And the fear has been with the TIFA polls; those polls that run around, they never mentioned my name,” he said.
“I’m not campaigning for them. I’m campaigning within the population and the people of the Republic of Kenya,” Wajackoyah added.
His latest declaration builds on the national attention he received during the 2022 General Election, when he emerged as one of the four candidates cleared to contest the presidency.
Wajackoyah ran under the Roots Party ticket with Justina Wamae as his running mate and finished third in the presidential race with 61,969 votes, representing 0.44 per cent of the valid presidential vote.
The 2022 election had 22,120,458 registered voters, with 14,213,027 valid votes recorded in the presidential contest. William Ruto won the election with 7,176,141 votes, equal to 50.49 per cent, while Raila Odinga followed with 6,942,930 votes, or 48.85 per cent.
David Waihiga of the Agano Party finished fourth with 31,987 votes, representing 0.23 per cent of the valid vote.
Although Wajackoyah's total was far below those of Ruto and Odinga, his 61,969 votes were nearly twice Waihiga's tally, making him the third-highest presidential vote-getter in the election.
He did not, however, reach the required 25 per cent threshold in any of the 47 counties. Ruto achieved the threshold in 39 counties, while Odinga crossed it in 34 counties.
Wajackoyah's 2022 campaign also drew widespread attention because of the unusual ideas he presented as part of his political programme. Among his proposals were the legalisation and commercialisation of cannabis and the use of alternative economic activities to help tackle Kenya's public debt.
The campaign gave Wajackoyah a much larger national profile and helped establish the Roots Party as a political vehicle for his presidential ambitions.
His interest in the presidency predates the 2022 election. Wajackoyah had expressed an intention to contest the presidency in 2012 but later withdrew from the race.
His 2022 bid therefore became his first successful presidential campaign and gave him an opportunity to compete nationally while placing the Roots Party in the wider political debate.
With the 2027 election approaching, Wajackoyah is again presenting himself as an independent presidential contender at a time when opposition parties are considering how to consolidate their support.
His latest position means any effort to create a single opposition presidential ticket could have to take his candidature into account. Wajackoyah has made it clear that he intends to remain in the race and believes the strength of his campaign will come from grassroots support rather than his position in opinion polls.