Larry Madowo Responds to Calls to Run for President of Kenya
Popular Kenyan journalist and CNN correspondent Larry Madowo has politely declined calls for him to run for president in the upcoming 2027 general election in Kenya.
When an X user suggested he should think about a presidential bid, Madowo stood firm in his decision, even with his followers urging him to reconsider.
“Has anyone thought about Larry Madowo being President of Kenya? He can be amazing,” the X user posited. To which Larry replied, “Immediately No!”
Madowo didn’t really give a clear reason for his refusal, but he seemed to hint that the constant criticism he faces—similar to what President William Ruto experiences—played a role in his decision not to run.
“You elect me, and then little by little we hear Madowo Must Go?” the journalist posited.
The idea of Madowo running for an electoral position might stem from his active role in exposing the shortcomings of Ruto’s administration and his commitment to holding the government accountable for its actions.
In addition to various public interest discussions, he has posted extensively about the conditions at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), expressing his concerns over leaking roofs and frequent power outages at one of East and Central Africa’s busiest airports.
His efforts caught the government’s attention, leading to a response from the then Transport and Roads Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, who criticized the media figure. Madowo had raised questions about why the government hadn’t constructed canopies to protect travelers accessing different areas of the airport.
In reply, Murkomen admonished the journalist for highlighting the airport’s poor condition, suggesting that he should focus more on promoting positive narratives.
“I saw Larry taking videos at the airport. I was laughing because Larry was with us in the country for the last 50 years when that airport was like that. Suddenly because he lives in abroad his eyes are open and realizes that there is no shade when you exit JKIA,” Murkomen stated.
Aside from the challenges at JKIA, Madowo has also made a name for himself by consistently covering anti-government protests. Last year, he returned to Kenya to report on the protests against the Finance Bill, where he captured some shocking instances of police brutality.
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Following his coverage, Madowo revealed that he started receiving threatening messages from unknown senders. Some of these messages included insults directed at the well-known journalist, but they didn’t explain the reasons behind the threats.
Just last month, despite facing some logistical hiccups with his air travel in London, Madowo managed to arrive back in Kenya just in time for the protests on June 25. His return was celebrated online, as many netizens had eagerly called for him to cover the highly anticipated events.
While he was filming in the streets, Madowo was met with an outpouring of support from the protesters, to the point where he had to ask them to give him some space, or else the quality of his live stream would suffer.
However, this reignited his clashes with the government, and in a twist of fate, CS Murkomen, now serving as the Interior CS, took aim at Madowo and other Kenyan journalists from international media outlets for their coverage of the protests.
During a press briefing following the June 25 commemorative protests on Thursday, Murkomen pointed out that international reporters tend to tread carefully when reporting on Western nations, yet seem to disregard that caution when it comes to Kenya.
Despite the backlash, Madowo has stood firm, insisting that he will always strive for objectivity and report on events as they unfold, rather than through a biased lens.
Larry Madowo Responds to Calls to Run for President of Kenya
