Amina Halake, the wife of former presidential candidate Mohammed Abduba Dida, has officially declared her intention to vie for Kenya’s presidency in the 2027 General Election.
In a televised interview with TV47, Halake also announced that she has taken over leadership of the Alliance for Real Change (ARC) party.
“I am the party leader for Alliance for Real Change, not my husband Abduba Dida,” she asserted.
“This is the time for a woman president. Kenyans are fed up, tired and aware of what is going on. Everything is collapsing—even a two-year-old is a politician now.”
“I was involved in almost everything—the campaigns and his welfare at home. So there is nothing I do not know about the campaigns and strategies,” she explained.
While Halake now leads the ARC party, it remains unclear whether her husband, who is currently out of the country, will back her bid.
“He may or may not support my presidential ambitions. When he comes back, maybe he may,” she said, adding that although she had hinted at her ambitions to him, they have not discussed the matter in depth.
Dida, once known for his unorthodox campaign style and sharp rhetoric, was recently released on parole from the Big Muddy Correctional Centre in Illinois, United States.
Dida had been serving a seven-year prison sentence for stalking and issuing threats, stemming from two convictions—one for transmitting threats (two years) and a second for aggravated stalking and violation of a restraining order (five years).
He was released on April 3, 2025, after serving nearly two and a half years.
Halake’s announcement adds her to a short but growing list of women who have sought Kenya’s highest office, following in the footsteps of Charity Ngilu (1997), Nazlin Omar (2007), Martha Karua (2013), and Wangari Maathai (1997).
She said her decision to run is driven by the country’s deteriorating state, citing rising corruption, unresolved abductions, and extrajudicial killings.
“No one is being held accountable. This candidacy is not just ambition—it’s a response to a national crisis.”
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