Justina Wamae, who was George Wajackoyah's running mate on the Roots Party ticket in 2022, has declared that she will run for president in 2027. She made the announcement on Sunday at the launch of a new outfit, the Imarisha Uchumi Party (IUP), in Utawala, Nairobi.

"I, Justina Wamae, officially declare my bid for the presidency under the IUP," she told supporters, according to The Star. The party is campaigning under the slogan Inatuhusu ("It concerns us"), the name of the movement she founded after leaving Roots.

Wamae becomes the latest entrant in a crowded 2027 field. It already includes President William Ruto, who is seeking re-election, and several opposition figures still negotiating over a joint candidate.

Housing levy to go, with refunds

The main plank of her platform is abolishing the Affordable Housing Levy, the 1.5 per cent payroll deduction introduced under the Ruto administration. Houses already built under the programme would be sold on mortgage to Kenyans who want to keep paying. Those who want to stop would get their money back.

The Star reported her as pledging to "refund monies to those who have already contributed and want to stop." She said the refunds would include interest, with the rate set in consultation with the Central Bank of Kenya and the National Treasury. She did not say when the refunds would be paid or how much the scheme would cost.

Agriculture and youth jobs

Wamae said an IUP government would put a quarter of the national budget into farming. "We shall allocate 25 per cent of our national budget to agriculture," she said, according to The Standard, arguing that the sector could drive growth, create jobs and lift household incomes.

She named youth unemployment as a top priority. She promised a hiring system that gives young people jobs on merit rather than through personal connections, and said she would expand the National Youth Service to all 290 constituencies if elected.

She also called for election processes to be livestreamed to strengthen public confidence in results. That position puts her alongside opposition leaders in the row over the Elections (Amendment) Bill now before Parliament.

Party ready to field candidates

According to The Star, the party received its full registration certificate on October 15. Wamae said it will field candidates for every elective post in 2027. Citizen Digital reported her saying the party's registration had gone more smoothly than that of the Linda Mwananchi movement, and urging that the process be streamlined for other groups.

On alliances, she said she was open to working with like-minded parties only where their ideas and economic agenda matched hers, and not simply to win power.

From Roots to her own vehicle

Wamae rose to national attention in 2022 as Wajackoyah's deputy on a ticket that finished third behind Ruto and the late Raila Odinga, with 61,969 votes according to The Star. She resigned from Roots on 22 September 2022 after disagreements with Wajackoyah. Before that she was a member of TNA and contested the Mavoko parliamentary seat as an independent.

At the launch she said that in her earlier political roles she had felt like "just a member, without any say." She presented the IUP as a vehicle she would control.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Daystar University, a graduate diploma from the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply, and a master's degree in procurement and logistics from JKUAT.

The launch comes as the opposition struggles to agree on a single coalition and flagbearer to face Ruto. Wiper's Kalonzo Musyoka, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Rigathi Gachagua and Fred Matiang'i are all in those talks.

Photos: The Star; The Standard