Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has emerged as the overwhelming favourite among President William Ruto’s supporters to retain the running mate position in the 2027 general election, with more than half preferring him to continue in the role, a new TIFA Research poll shows.
Kindiki commands 55 per cent support among respondents asked who they would prefer to deputise Ruto in the next election, putting him 43 percentage points ahead of his closest challenger, Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, who scored 12 per cent.
Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho came third with nine per cent, while Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula each attracted four per cent.
TIFA described Kindiki as a "clear front-runner for Ruto's 2027 running mate choice", with his commanding lead suggesting that the President's supporters favour continuity in the Deputy Presidency rather than a change of guard.
"Kindiki's commanding lead suggests that Ruto's supporters favour continuity in the Deputy Presidency rather than a change in running mate," the poll analysis states.
However, the research firm noted that the combined support for alternative candidates points to some appetite for a broader political alliance.
"The combined support for alternative candidates indicates some appetite for a broader political alliance," TIFA said.
Wanga's second-place showing puts an ODM politician among the leading alternatives, as political discussions continue over the future of the broad-based arrangement involving Ruto's United Democratic Alliance and the Orange Democratic Movement.
Joho's nine per cent also places a Coast-based politician in the running, while Mudavadi and Wetang’ula each attracted four per cent, reflecting the presence of other regional political figures in the potential succession calculations.
Oburu, who also scored four per cent, is another name emerging in the debate around the political arrangement between Ruto and ODM.
Despite the alternatives, Kindiki's 55 per cent support is more than four times Wanga's score, making him the clear preference among the surveyed Ruto supporters.
The findings come as political leaders begin positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 general election, with coalition-building and regional representation expected to influence discussions over the presidential ticket.
The survey was conducted between October 26 and November 5, 2026, through face-to-face household interviews involving a nationally representative sample of 2,036 respondents.
Participants were drawn from nine regions: Central Rift, Coast, Lower Eastern, Mt Kenya, Nairobi, Northern, Nyanza, South Rift and Western.
Interviews were conducted mainly in Kiswahili, with some in English.
TIFA said the survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.16 percentage points, although this was higher for smaller sub-samples.
The findings offer a snapshot of preferences among Ruto's supporters and do not amount to a formal endorsement or confirmation of his eventual running mate.
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