David Maraga: How former Chief Justice has won the hearts of Gen Z with his 'grandfatherly aura' - Citizen Digital

Former CJ David Maraga

Not since the euphoric Mwai Kibaki days has Kenya shown such electric enthusiasm for a presidential candidate whose premise inspires hope, relief and refreshing ideology.

On June 19, 2025, in an interview with NTV, David Maraga, Kenya's 14th Chief Justice and former President of the Supreme Court of Kenya, declared his intention to vie for president, stating, "I am the Gen Z Presidential candidate. I have children, and many people have children. We must mentor young people so that they take over from us."

While declaring his bid, Maraga noted budgeted graft and police brutality as top agendas in his administration if elected.

"After discussion with friends and after serious reflection, I thought it was time we thought about the leadership of this country. We can not let some people take our country to doomsday literally,” he stated.

"As a result of that reflection, I have made up my mind that I will run for the presidency of this country in 2027."

That announcement immediately sparked an explosion of exultant excitement and hope among young Kenyans, many of whom had already become weary of not just the William Ruto administration but also the typical Kenyan way of doing politics —the sordid, the mudslinging, the terrifying populism.

While making that announcement, Maraga did so with grace and modesty, eschewing the haughtiness and pompous arrogance that bedevils Kenyan politics and, at the same time, striking a conciliatory tone that sought to unite rather than balkanise the electorate for his advantage.

His magnetism was not in brash rhetoric or lofty proposals but in his meek mien and grandfatherly aura, aspects which made him stand out as a candidate who actually cares for the nation and not an avaricious goblin out to milk the nation dry and build gilded palaces in his village.

On X, young Kenyans wholeheartedly welcomed his intention with many now split between dedicating their allegiance to Okiya Omtatah and David Maraga - some even went as far as asking Omtatah, who had himself announced his candidacy earlier, to join hands with the elder Maraga and fall back as his running mate.

This, to the Gen Z and the general Kenyan population online, was the magic ticket which would viciously annihilate the intractable William Ruto juggernaut and send it packing as early as 8am.

From all corners of the web, on TikTok and X, Facebook and your grandmother's churchy WhatsApp timeline, Maraga became an overnight people's darling.

He was, after all, a devout Christian, had presided over the judiciary with irrefutable integrity and appeared like a safe pair of hands in a political field packed with fang-baring wolves.

Many who swore by Maraga's name noted his remarkable stint at the helm of the Supreme Court. This is the same man, after all, who ordered a fresh General Election to be conducted in 60 days after the 2017 polls were contested by Raila Odinga.

"The declaration [of Kenyatta's win] is invalid, null and void," said a forthright Judge David Maraga, announcing the verdict of four out of the six judges.

Such a decision was unprecedented, not just in Kenya, but in Africa.

It did, however, inspire serious political reactions - and snide remarks directed at him - but Maraga remained resolute, unfractured and unswerving in his quest to dispense justice, preside over an honourable Supreme Court and provide judicial transcendence in a country reeling under toxic politicism.

"We shall revisit this thing. We clearly have a problem," a furious Uhuru Kenyatta would lash out at Maraga during his televised address a day after the ruling.

"Who even elected you? Were you? We have a problem and we must fix it."

Well, the man whom the former president vowed to 'revisit' is now attempting to occupy the same office he once rattled, and has promised to bring along with him order, constitutionalism, structure and a clear demarcation of powers.

Some who have interrogated Maraga have complained that he lacks 'charisma' and that he may not possess the electrifying charm and political glamour needed to galvanise the masses and hold crowds in spellbinding awe.

But an argument has quickly been fronted: Kenyans are tired of showy charlatans with spicy tongues and witty zingers; Kenyans are now settling for someone with a brain, willpower, respect for the rule of law, and the compassion to lead, not to merely - and brutally - rule.

Already, Maraga's presidential communications team is working on sprucing up his image and appealing to the impressionable young masses by tagging along with popular musicians and content creators in a bid to fix their candidate in spaces where he's needed most.

To demonstrate just how insanely popular Maraga has suddenly become, popular chef Dennis Ombachi almost broke the internet after hosting the presidential candidate on his famous balcony for a cooking session.

On Instagram, the video has been watched by an astounding 1.7 million people and 'Liked' by 100,000 people in just 48 hours.

And on TikTok, the numbers are even more astonishing - the video has been viewed by 2.2 million people and garnered a staggering 176,000 'Likes'.

And his appeal is not just online, but offline too, where he has been seen in the streets, battling teargas plumes and in the courtrooms facing magistrates as he joins Gen Z in their quest for better governance, an end to police brutality and respect for the rule of law.

One impressed X supporter wrote, "I’d rather see Maraga campaign with just 2 cars or even a bicycle than watch another looter fly in choppers funded by cartels. Because when you owe no cartels, you serve the people, not cartels. Let him come simple. We’ll walk with him. Maraga the 6th. Clean hands. Clear conscience."

In a woeful country that has seen an evolution of greedy leprechauns posing as leaders and predatory loudmouths posing as saviours, Maraga has presented the nation with the ultimate antidote - a man steeped in honour and righteous valour, and a man ready to rescue a drowning people and allow them to clutch at the straw, too.