Kazungu Kambi Reveals New Coast Party Plan After Ruto Meeting
September 2026
Former Labour Cabinet Secretary Kazungu Kambi has disclosed plans to launch a new political party aimed at uniting Coast region voters ahead of the 2027 General Election, revealing that he discussed the idea directly with President William Ruto at State House. Kambi, who once represented Kaloleni Constituency, made the disclosure in a move that has stirred fresh debate about Coast politics.
Kambi said the two men held the conversation in July, weeks before he went public with the plan. “When I was invited by President Ruto, we talked about politics,” Kambi told reporters, adding that Ruto had asked whether he already had a party of his own.
New Coast Party Plans
Kambi said he currently has access to three registered outfits and intends to pick one to launch formally soon. He said the new party would draw its top leadership from different communities across the Coast, rather than being built around a single ethnic group.
He framed the project as a response to years of fragmented Coast politics rather than as a personal vehicle. “I want unity at the Coast because currently we are not united,” he said, arguing that internal rivalry, not outsiders, has kept the region poor despite its resources.
Kambi has also declared his intention to run for the Kilifi governorship in 2027, so the timing of the party launch matters. A governor bid needs a strong political vehicle behind it, and Kambi appears to be building that machinery well ahead of the race.
State House Meeting Details
The July meeting at State House had already drawn attention before Kambi’s latest comments, after photographs of him with Ruto circulated widely on social media. Nation Media Group’s reporting notes that the images surfaced only weeks after Kambi had joined a delegation of Mijikenda leaders meeting Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua in Kwale.
That sequence, one State House visit following closely on a Gachagua meeting, has fed speculation about which camp Kambi is truly aligning with as the 2027 race takes shape. Kambi has not publicly addressed the apparent contradiction, and neither camp has issued a formal statement tying his new party to either man’s 2027 ambitions.
Coast Political Landscape
Kambi’s move lands at a moment when several established Coast parties are struggling to stay relevant. The Pamoja African Alliance (PAA), founded by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi ahead of the 2022 polls, will not field its own candidates in 2027. Kingi has said the party will instead back candidates from Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
That decision leaves something of a gap in Coast party politics, one that Kambi’s new outfit could try to fill if it gets off the ground. Regional leaders have been under growing pressure to consolidate voters behind a single political brand rather than splitting support across several small parties, a pattern that has weakened the Coast’s bargaining power in past national elections.
Whether Kambi’s new party ends up firmly in the Ruto camp, positions itself as an independent Coast bloc, or eventually finds common ground with Gachagua’s DCP remains an open question. Nothing in his own remarks settles it either way, and the coming months, likely bringing the formal launch he has promised, should offer the clearest answer yet.
What Happens Next
For now, Kambi has committed only to choosing among his three existing party options and launching “soon,” without giving a firm date. Coast voters watching the 2027 field take shape will want to see whether that launch clarifies his alliance or simply adds another undecided player to an already crowded regional contest.
