President William Ruto has made his Cabinet picks from Mt Kenya a revolving door as he scrambles to quell a mounting rebellion in a region that overwhelmingly secured his State House tenancy in 2022.
In a bid to get the right mix of nominees that will fetch him political capital in the vote-rich region, the President has found himself changing appointees from Mt Kenya to respond to the rapidly developing landscape.
After Gen Z protests in June escalated to an invasion of Parliament, forcing the withdrawal of the Finance Bill, 2024 that had unpopular taxes, President Ruto dissolved his entire Cabinet, only sparing Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
In the reconstituted team, he dropped seasoned leaders from Mt Kenya and replaced them with political greenhorns.
Those sacked were Mithika Linturi, who was the Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture), Moses Kuria (Public Service), Prof Njuguna Ndung’u (National Treasury) and Zachary Njeru (Lands).
President Ruto retained Alice Wahome (CS Lands), former Attorney-General Justin Muturi was appointed CS Public Service and Rebecca Miano was moved from the Ministry of Trade and Industry to the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife.
When Dr Ruto named a broad-based Cabinet following the anti-government protests, he appointed three individuals who did not have much political clout.
They are; Mr Eric Mugaa (Water, Sanitation and Irrigation), Dr Andrew Karanja (Agriculture and Livestock Development) and Dr Margaret Ndung'u (Information, Communication and the Digital Economy).
Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang'wa said the President had shot himself in the foot by appointing greenhorns that cannot read the Mountain pulse and help their boss have an impact.
In October, Dr Ruto orchestrated the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua , sending the Mountain into a fit of rage. Some quarters even pushed for Mt Kenya region to break ranks with the government.
The removal from office of Mr Gachagua further inflamed the revolt. Residents interpreted this as betrayal after the region helped to install Dr Ruto in power.
It appears the President has realised that his attempt to charm the Mountain — following the fallout after the sacking of senior politicians from the region — was backfiring. And that seems to have prompted his latest political manoeuvre.
A surprise visit by President Ruto to the rural home of his predecessor, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, with whom he had frosty relations, has occasioned more changes in Cabinet, leading to a return of seasoned politicians.
Coming after the Ichaweri visit, Dr Ruto has nominated former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo as CS for Information, Communication, and the Digital Economy to take over from Dr Ndung’u who has been nominated as Kenya's High Commissioner to Ghana.
Mr Mutahi Kagwe, who was the former Health CS during Mr Kenyatta’s tenure, has been nominated as CS for Agriculture to take over from Dr Karanja, who has been nominated as Kenya's Ambassador to Brazil.
Former Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui has been nominated to serve as CS for Investment, Trade, and Industry. Former Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi is set to become the Kenya Revenue Authority board chairman while former Murang'a Senator Kembi Gitura has been picked to chair the Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital board.
Murang'a Woman Representative Betty Maina had on November 7 hinted that President Ruto and Mr Kenyatta were in talks, and it was only a matter of time before the two reunited ahead of the 2027 General Election.
She said that President Ruto had figured out that Mr Kenyatta had a following in Mt Kenya that he could benefit from and perhaps help him push back the onslaught by Mr Gachagua.
"The things I happen to know about this government are many. I can confirm to you that the President and Mr Kenyatta are working together behind the scenes," she told Kogi's Corner TV.
Ms Maina said then: “Soon you will see key men in Mr Kenyatta's loyal circle being appointed into government to take up positions of those who have decided to drive our country over the cliff .”
“In the next six months, I can tell you that the President's men and some key allies of his predecessor will be reading from the same script as they plan the next move of 2027 together.”
All the new Ruto nominees had contested the 2022 General Election and were resoundingly rejected by the voters. Mr Kenyatta, who is said to have negotiated for their entry into Dr Ruto’s government, had also faced similar rejection from the people of Mt Kenya. His preferred successor in the 2022 poll was opposition leader Raila Odinga who lost to Dr Ruto.
Githunguri MP Gathoni wa Muchomba wondered why Mr Kenyatta did not negotiate for women in the Cabinet slots he was given by President Ruto.
"Mr Kenyatta has many qualified women supporters who should have been given a two-third quarter in the appointments. But that is not the problem, what is, is the recycling of individuals that the people rejected...this clearly shows the President is in a panic,” she said.
Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo told Nation.Africa that "the President is desperately crafting a 2027 winning formula, and since he is vulnerable, “he can reconstitute his Cabinet even twice a week just to win allies".
Mr Maanzo said the President is worried that Mt Kenya appears set to decamp to join hands with Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
“We in Mt Musyoka's camp want to mobilise about 4 million votes, Mt Kenya mobilises about 10 million votes while other allies give us a million votes to send President Ruto home,” Mr Maanzo said.
Political analyst and scholar Prof Peter Kagwanja says: “We are seeing interesting moments where Mt Kenya is the epicentre of high key politics.”
“If I were the Mountain people, or if I had a way of making my word hold, I would advise people from the area to reap maximum benefits.
“When a woman gets overwhelming interest for her hand in courtship, she should behave in a manner that pushes the dowry rate up.
“The Mountain should embrace the positions it is given and demand more development projects while attaching the 2027 math to it.”
Former Gatanga MP Nduati Ngugi said the big issue in Mt Kenya is assuaging egos and retaining basic principles of engagement.
“What is currently driving Mt Kenya politics is a desire to teach President Ruto a lesson after he trashed their gentleman’s agreement of 2022,” Mr Ngugi said.
He said Mt Kenya feels betrayed by the President regarding his promises in the agricultural sector, easing the cost of doing business, creating employment, enacting a bottom-up economic model, avoiding sharing power with Mr Odinga as well as protecting Mr Gachagua from ridicule.
"The Mountain people feel all these promises were trashed without apology, especially the part of bringing in Mr Odinga into his government," Mr Ngugi said.
"I doubt all these efforts the President is making will give him a reprieve, given that the problem of Mt Kenya is not about who gets appointed into government or whether the development will come or not: The problem the Mt Kenya people appear to have is with the President himself.”
While appearing on Inooro TV on December 15, Mr Gachagua scorned the new partnership between President Ruto and Mr Kenyatta, as well as the now too-common Cabinet reconstitution.
"The handshake between President Ruto and Mr Kenyatta is their personal business that had no input from the people...it does not even resonate with the ground. I will advise them that Mt Kenya people do not take political directions from anyone, rather, it is they who make a choice and demand that leaders toe the line," he said.
“There is no problem in the Cabinet. His continuing to reconstitute it will not solve a thing... President Ruto runs the government as a one-man show where he is everything.
Head of the Presidential Communication Service Munyori Buku had earlier told Nation.Africa that the President is not interested in the politics of re-election.
"President Ruto has never shifted anything to the second term. He has argued at public fora that you cannot spend the first term thinking about the second," Mr Buku said.
He added that the President is for now only interested in transformation in housing, universal healthcare, agriculture, digitisation and financial inclusion, among others.
"This is being implemented now. Only then can the second term take care of itself," he said.
The ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Chair Cecily Mbarire said the President will not be distracted by a few self-centred individuals out to incite Kenyans, especially from Mt Kenya, against their government.
"Some of those making noise come from regions that are developed. Our people from Mt Kenya East have little development and their only hope is being in the good books of government," she said.
Kapseret MP Mr Oscar Sudi believes that the President's good intentions and purposeful leadership are being scandalised for personal gains.
"We are not opposed to people expressing their 2027 ambitions. But we have competitors who are sworn enemies of truth, development and integrity. They just want to sink the country so that they can benefit through anarchy," Mr Sudi said.
“The people of Mt Kenya should refuse to be held captive by petty, tribal and selfish leaders who are putting greed for power ahead of development.”
