Njoroge announced Wednesday she has begun grassroots tours across the capital city, aiming to understand residents’ needs before formally launching her campaign. The move signals an increasingly crowded field for one of Kenya’s most influential political positions.
Bottom-Up Approach to Campaigning
“As leaders, we often imagine that we know what people want or need,” Njoroge told supporters at a forum with opinion leaders from Kasarani and Roysambu constituencies. “Yet too often we end up working at cross-purposes with the very citizens who put us in office.”
The 40-year-old political strategist emphasized her campaign will be built on direct feedback from residents through her #PaulineNjorogeMtaani initiative, touring all constituencies before unveiling a formal manifesto.
Credentials and Political Experience
Njoroge rose to national prominence during Kenya’s 2013 presidential elections, managing social media operations for President Uhuru Kenyatta’s The National Alliance party. She later served nearly seven years as a communications officer at the NEPAD/APRM Kenya Secretariat and helped coordinate Raila Odinga’s unsuccessful African Union chairperson bid in 2024.
Drawing on that experience, she promised partnerships with leaders including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna to deliver improved infrastructure, free drinking water, organized public transport and enhanced healthcare.
Crowded Field Emerges
Njoroge joins at least eight declared candidates challenging Sakaja of the United Democratic Alliance party, including lawmakers Babu Owino, James Gakuya, George Aladwa, former Principal Secretary Irungu Nyakera and businesswoman Agnes Kagure.
President William Ruto met with various aspirants Wednesday, including eight eyeing the Nairobi seat, as the country gears up for next year’s elections.
