Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi addresses residents during a public meeting in Thika on October 22, 2026/ HANDOUT

Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has said he will put development and the needs of residents ahead of party politics, declaring that he will only turn to political activities in January.

Speaking during a public meeting with residents in Thika on Thursday, Wamatangi said he wanted to concentrate on delivering on his mandate rather than spend time engaging in political activities while work remained unfinished.

“I said I would not get into political parties and politics until January. First, let me finish the work, let the work be done,” he said.

The governor argued that elected leaders should focus on the responsibilities entrusted to them by voters before seeking other positions, saying performance in their current offices should determine whether they deserve promotion.

He questioned politicians who, he said, were moving around Kiambu engaging in politics while problems affecting their own constituents remained unresolved.

“If I had focused on political parties and politics instead of working for the people, Kiambu would not have realised the development it has experienced,” Wamatangi said.

He likened the situation to leaving a house on fire to attend to matters elsewhere, questioning why leaders would abandon problems in their own areas to engage in political activities outside them.

Wamatangi also criticised politicians whom he claimed are becoming more active as elections approach, asking where some had been during the preceding four years.

He said leaders elected for five-year terms should first demonstrate that they had delivered on their promises before asking voters for another mandate.

The governor defended his own record by recalling his time as senator, when he said he pushed for the extension of the Juja–Juja Farm–Athi–Komo–Githima–Gatuanyaga road beyond its initial endpoint.

He said he had insisted that the road should continue beyond Juja town to serve more residents, arguing that infrastructure development required leaders to focus on the needs of the people.

Wamatangi also addressed a difficult section of the road, saying he would send a team from the following week to work on improving it as the tarmacking project continued.

He said stones were already available and that machinery would be needed to level the surface, improve drainage and make it easier for residents to use the road as they waited for the tarmac to reach the end.

The governor said he wanted the immediate problem addressed rather than allow residents to continue struggling with the stretch while the wider project progressed.

Wamatangi maintained that his immediate responsibility was to serve as governor and complete the work expected of him before pursuing other political ambitions.

He said he would return to party politics in January, signalling that his current priority was to address residents’ concerns and advance development projects in the county.