NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 14 — Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has said he will remain non-political and stay away from political confrontations until March 2027, insisting he wants to focus solely on development despite what he described as intimidation following the demolition of his carwash business in Nairobi.
Speaking on Wednesday after visiting the demolished site, Wamatangi said he had deliberately chosen to avoid political battles in order to concentrate on delivering services to the people of Kiambu.
“I have made a decision that I’m going to work for the people of Kiambu without a single word of politics until March 2027. But that does not mean I will not run for governor,” he said.
The Governor described the demolition as “an act of cowardice,” alleging that some individuals were using government offices and state machinery to intimidate and silence him.
“Stop using government offices to ruin me. Stop using state offices to destroy my property and intimidate me. This is an act of cowardice,” he said.
Wamatangi inspects wreckage after raid at his Nairobi carwash
Wamatangi said he considers himself a development-focused leader rather than a politician and claimed the incident was intended to derail his agenda.
“I am non-political and a development person. This is meant to silence me and remove me from my development agenda so that I can become like everyone else,” he added.
Re-election prospects
He maintained that he remains confident of retaining his seat in 2027, saying Kiambu residents would judge him on performance.
“I will be the Governor of Kiambu, God willing, because the people of Kiambu have decided that, because of the work we are doing, they will give us this seat back,” he said, adding in Swahili: “Tutahakikisha kazi ndiyo itaongea. Mikono hamtatukata.”
The Governor claimed threats on his life citing raids on his home terming repeated incidents worrying.
“Yesterday I said that since they are destroying, I would not come because you never know who the bullets are targeted at,” he said.
He also claimed that no notice was served before the demolition, despite court orders he says were issued after a previous attempt to bring down his property.
“We have court orders that were signed when they first destroyed my property. Yesterday they came here with tear gas and live bullets,” Wamatangi said.
Destruction
The demolition was carried out at dawn along Douglas Wakiihuri Road off Lang’ata Road, near Nyayo Stadium, where excavators and bulldozers, accompanied by police officers, flattened several businesses and installations, including a car yard, a car wash and a restaurant.
The demolition saw several vehicles and other property destroyed.
By morning, debris littered the area and sections of the road remained blocked, disrupting movement as police cordoned off the scene.
Nairobi police boss George Seda said officers were deployed to provide security as Kenya Railways repossessed the land.
“The management says they notified the owner of the property to vacate, but there was resistance. We came in to help in the demolition,” Seda said, adding that no injuries were reported.
The incident came days after Wamatangi, through his company, moved to court seeking protection from what he termed as threats of demolition.
In the case filed at the Milimani Commercial Magistrates’ Court, he argued his company had leased the Kenya Railways land for more than 20 years.
The petition claims that individuals acting on behalf of Kenya Railways issued verbal notices to vacate in December without serving a formal eviction notice.
Wamatangi’s lawyers contested the notices saying they violated constitutional property rights and eviction procedures under the Land Act.
