Agnes Kagure’s political career in Nairobi is collapsing under the weight of unresolved scandals.
After years of chasing the governor’s seat, the businesswoman is now eyeing Nyeri as a last-chance escape route. Court losses, fraud claims and repeated rejection have left her with few options in the capital.
Kagure first drew national attention in 2018 when then-Governor Mike Sonko considered her for deputy. The plan collapsed almost immediately.
Reports of a forged degree and serious land disputes made her nomination toxic. She later ran for Nairobi governor in 2022 and finished a distant fourth. Since then she has tried to rebuild under the Kenya Patriots Party, but the same problems keep returning.
Court after court has ruled against her
The most damaging case remains the Karen land battle. Kagure claimed she bought a multi-acre property from British national Roger Bryan Robson for cash in 2011.
Robson died the following year. His will left the land to family and conservation causes. High Court judges have found no credible evidence that any sale took place.
One ruling last year dismissed her claim completely and exposed what the court saw as weak and inconsistent documents.
Similar patterns appear in other land disputes linked to her name.
A German investor has also accused her of taking more than Sh140 million in a failed oil deal.
Kagure denies the claim and has threatened legal action against the media. The accusations, however, remain part of the public record and continue to damage her credibility.
Nairobi doors keep closing
In the run-up to 2027, Kagure’s supporters have complained that the opposition is sidelining her in favour of other candidates for the Nairobi ticket. Some have openly threatened to back incumbent Johnson Sakaja if she is pushed out. The message is clear: her baggage is too heavy for the capital’s political class to carry.
Nyeri as Plan B
Faced with this reality, Kagure is now listening to calls from Nyeri. Youths in the county recently staged a rally demanding she abandon Nairobi and contest the governorship there instead. Placards named her as their preferred candidate. Kagure has responded with careful language about “listening” and “serving the people,” but she has not yet made a firm declaration.
The move looks less like a homecoming and more like a calculated retreat. Nyeri is her rural base. Supporters there hope her name recognition will count for something.
Many see a politician running from her record rather than facing it.
Voters in Nyeri will eventually have to decide whether the land cases, the fraud claims and the failed Nairobi campaigns are old news or continuing warning signs.
Kagure is betting they will overlook the past.
The courts and the public record suggest that past is not finished with her yet.
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