Safina Presidential candidate Jimi Wanjigi has poached communications guru Rita Oyier from the "Women For Ruto" lobby group to be his presidential campaign communications director.

Oyier will now head all political communications from Wanjigi’s presidential secretariat as he upscales his vote hunting escapades across the country ahead of the August election.

She is expected to tailor-suit Wanjigi’s communication strategies to appeal more to the youth population that dominates the Kenyan voter-rich basket three months to the poll.

William Ruto and Rita Oyier. PHOTO/COURTESY

Speaking to Swala Nyeti, Oyier welcomed the appointment saying she was ready to serve.

“It is an honour to work in any presidential campaign in whichever capacity. Joining Jimi Wanjigi’s Presidential campaign gives me yet another opportunity to serve and surface a wider choice to the electorate of candidates for the highest seat of the land, the presidency. We deserve more options, that’s how we know our democracy is truly growing,” she said.

Jimi Wanjigi, Rita Oyier and Jacque Maribe. PHOTO/FACEBOOK

This will be a first for the communication strategist, who worked under Director Hussein Mohamed in Deputy President William Ruto’s presidential communication team.

Rita Oyier.  PHOTO/COURTESY RITA

She expressed confidence the 'Women for Ruto’, which she co-founded with other women to get more women elected, will continue flourishing as she takes up her new level task.

“Women For Ruto was a brilliant stroke founded on time and with a purpose. It was not founded by just myself but a small team of committed women. We have done a lot to shape, shift and pressure the right conversation even in a non-partisan manner while lovingly providing visibility for the Presidential Candidate William Ruto and his Women support base. Those achievements are already in the hallmark of significance in the 2022 Elections. The team will carry and soldier on,” Oyier told Swala Nyeti.

PHOTO/COURTESY

She previously worked in the Raila Odinga presidential campaign secretariat in 2017.

Oyier received an award during the MSK Gala Awards 2021 for her Image Reshaping Campaign and previously organised the Kids Festival for Churchill Show’s Laugh Industry.

She was also recognized in the Standard Chartered Women in Tech 2018 for her e-commerce platform Heri Online, among Top 25 Women in Digital Space 2016 as well as Facebook Personality of the Year, 2014.

Oyier has a huge presence on Facebook and Twitter among other social media platforms and is an Advanced Project Management Professional trained at the Stanford University.