Billionaire Jimmy Wanjigi plans to challenge Raila Odinga for the party's presidential ticket in the 2022 general elections.
The ODM life member told a local daily that he had what it takes to lead the Orange party and ultimately the country.
I’ll be running for the ODM ticket and I’ll be taking on Raila Odinga, and that will be my presidential ticket,” he told the Nation.
This throws a spanner into the works of Kenya's career politicians who have already declared their interest in the presidency.
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Billionaire Jimmy Wanjigi/ Photo courtesy
Despite being unelected to any political seat in the past, Jimmy Wanjigi is no political novice.
The well-heeled city billionaire comes from a well-connected family in the Mt Kenya region with deep pockets. His father, Maina Wanjigi, was a cabinet minister in the Jomo Kenyatta era.
Jimmy has also displayed his political nous and is credited as one of the power brokers behind the formation of the Uhuruto ticket in 2013.
Shortly after the duo got into office, their relationship with Wanjigi soured causing the tycoon to shift his allegiance to Raila Odinga in the 2017 general elections.
Wanjigi's entry into the political scene complicates things for perceived frontrunners in the 2022 presidential election.
Hailing from Murang'a, Wanjigi threatens to split the Mt Kenya vote even further.
He becomes the third leader from the region, after Speaker Justin Muturi and Murang'a Governor Mwangi Wa Iria to declare their interest in the presidency.
This will curtail Deputy President William Ruto's chances of garnering a majority of the votes in a region where he has spent a large part of his second term in office campaigning.
He is also expected to compete for the ODM ticket against Raila Odinga and Deputy Party leaders Hassan Joho and Wycliffe Oparanya.
Wanjigi's deep pockets give him an advantage over the latter two whose second terms as governors of Mombasa and Kakamega respectively end in August 2022.
While Raila Odinga has not outrightly announced his candidature, it is widely expected that he will make a fifth stab for the presidency but this time faces a challenge in the mould of Jimmy Wanjigi for the ODM ticket.
