Safina Party leader Jimmy Wanjigi has called for a new political approach focused on economic empowerment, saying Kenya needs “fresh” leadership to tackle poverty and economic exclusion.
Speaking on NTV on Monday, Wanjigi, who has shown interest in contesting the 2027 presidential election, argued that the country’s economic transformation cannot be achieved by the same political players who have dominated previous elections, saying the next leadership must combine political insight with experience from outside government.
“Now we must continue what those two liberations began. It is economic, economic, economic,” Wanjigi said.
He said Kenya’s first liberation focused on independence, while the second expanded political, democratic and human rights under the 2010 Constitution.
According to Wanjigi, the next phase should address the economic exclusion of millions of Kenyans, particularly young people.
“Gen Z in 2024 stamped their authority about the question of this coming election,” he said, linking the youth-led protests to concerns over exclusion, corruption, poverty and the economic wellbeing of Kenyans.
Wanjigi, who has previously been involved in presidential campaigns, including those of Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto in 2013 and Raila Odinga in 2017, described himself as a candidate with political knowledge but an outsider to government.
“I am fresh. I have inside knowledge, but outside experience,” he said.
He argued that major political and economic transformations have often been driven by leaders who came from outside traditional political structures, citing examples including Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew, South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, US President Donald Trump and Argentina’s Javier Milei.
“This economic revolution cannot be about the same player. It can’t be. They can’t change it. They don’t understand it,” Wanjigi said.
He said his understanding of government, Kenya’s history and the country’s political and economic challenges gives him the experience needed to lead a new transformation.
“Understanding government, understanding people, understanding our history, what has been right, what has been wrong, understanding why we are where we are,” he said.
Wanjigi also pointed to persistent poverty despite decades of political promises to improve the economy.
“This is a country, and I mean it is tragic. There are 32 million people that are still poor 63 years after independence,” he said.
He argued that the economic system continues to suppress Kenyans’ potential by leaving many struggling with unemployment and underemployment despite acquiring education.
Wanjigi said his political vision was shaped partly by his father, whom he described as his biggest mentor and who taught him that as people prosper, they should “leave no one behind”.
He said the next phase of Kenya’s political transformation must prioritise economic opportunity and dignity for ordinary citizens.
“The private sector should be the biggest business,” Wanjigi said, arguing for an economy less dependent on government as the main source of business opportunities.