United Green Movement (UGM) presidential flagbearer and former Chief Justice David Maraga has established his Presidential Campaign Secretariat as he steps up preparations for the 2027 General Election.
In a statement issued on Monday, July 20, the party announced that the campaign secretariat will operate from Kileleshwa in Nairobi and will be led by Mkawasi Mcharo and David Makali, who have been tasked with overseeing key campaign functions, including strategy, policy, diaspora affairs and communication.
Mcharo has been appointed Co-Executive Director of the Presidential Campaign Secretariat and will be responsible for strategy, policy formulation and engagement with Kenyans living abroad.
United Green Movement (UGM) presidential flagbearer David Maraga. Photo: Courtesy.
Makali will serve as the campaign’s Communication Coordinator, overseeing messaging and public communication.
According to UGM, Mcharo brings more than two decades of leadership and management experience to the campaign.
The party noted that she has built a career in governance, social justice and academia, with expertise in nation-building, language and performing arts.
She is also a founding member and former chairperson of the Kenya Community Abroad, a United States-based organisation through which she championed greater diaspora participation in Kenya’s constitutional reforms, including the recognition of dual citizenship.
The party further credited her with initiating the country’s first presidential debate.
Mcharo is also an accomplished writer whose work has appeared in both local and international publications.
She holds a Master of Arts in Theatre Arts from Hunter College in New York, a Master of Arts in Diplomacy from Norwich University in Vermont and a Bachelor of Arts in Literature from the University of Nairobi.
She is currently pursuing doctoral research at Howard University in Washington, D.C., focusing on political belonging and the emergence of nations.
On his part, Makali joins the campaign with more than three decades of experience in journalism, strategic communication and civil society advocacy. UGM described him as a respected media practitioner and political communication expert with a long record in mainstream and alternative media.
Throughout his career, Makali has held senior editorial positions and worked as a communications consultant for various organisations. He is also known for his advocacy on press freedom, governance and human rights.
His work has earned him several accolades, including the 2025 Press Freedom Warrior Award from the Kenya Editors Guild.
The party also highlighted his history as a journalist who faced persecution during the 1990s, noting that he was imprisoned in 1994 over his reporting and later recognised by Amnesty International as a Prisoner of Conscience.
In 1999, Makali was abducted in Nairobi, tortured and abandoned in Karura Forest after publishing an investigative report linking senior government officials to alleged drug trafficking and money laundering.
Academically, Makali holds a Master of Science in Journalism from Columbia University, a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Nairobi and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Moi University.
The appointments come as Maraga intensifies efforts to build his campaign team ahead of the 2027 presidential race under the United Green Movement banner.
