Former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi, has thrown his hat back in the political arena, declaring interest in the Meru Gubernatorial seat.
Taking it to his social media pages on Thursday, February 26, 2026, Linturi has indicated that the decision was arrived at after a long period of public participation and consultations in all nine constituencies of the county.
“Having conducted public participation across the entire Meru County. Having listened to the people of Meru across the 9 constituencies, both on the ground and through the TV stations and radios, where the people of Meru have been calling on me to come back and contest for the Meru gubernatorial seat, sasa nimekubali. I will be offering myself to you, Great People of Meru, to ask you to support me to be the Governor of Meru come 2027. Asanteni,” Linturi stated.
Linturi is not a foreigner in the gubernatorial politics of Meru. He had earlier shown interest in the seat and unsuccessfully run for Meru governor before the 2022 General Election on a UDA ticket and was beaten by the former impeached governor Kawira Mwangaza, who ran on an independent ticket.
Mwangaza garnered 209,148 votes, with Linturi coming in second with 183,859 votes. Former Meru governor Kiraitu Murungu came in third place with 110,814 votes.
His election as cabinet secretary was a major boost to his political involvement, as he was previously an elected senator for Meru County. His time in the Cabinet was, however, shortened with his removal in a reshuffle in the Cabinet by President William Ruto, which redefined his political path.
Linturi re-identified himself politically and subsequently allied with the former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP).
His statement is now a coming-of-age moment, as he shifts his attention back to county leadership with a new attempt to win the office of the Meru governor in 2027.
