President William Ruto and the politics of Mount Kenya region.
President William Ruto will Thursday host some Mt Kenya MPs at State House as a follow-up to a meeting last week by his deputy, Prof Kithure Kindiki, in preparation for the week-long tour of the region, Nation has learnt.
The extensive tour, scheduled for the end of this month or early April, has already begun to raise political temperatures in the region that swept President Ruto to power in the 2022 race before turning hostile following his bitter fallout with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
It is politically significant as it would be President Ruto's first visit to the region since the October impeachment of Mr Gachagua, who has since emerged as a fierce critic while aggressively canvassing the region to abandon Dr Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA). Mr Gachagua is set to launch his new party in May in preparation for the 2027 contest.
Gachagua's allies told the Nation that they expect the President to explain to the region why he sacked some of their MPs from the parliamentary leadership.
They also plan to challenge the Head of State on some of the promises he made to the people that have not been fulfilled more than two years after he came to power.
An MP allied to President Ruto told the Nation that they have a meeting scheduled for Thursday, information confirmed by a State House official. However, the official described the planned meeting as a "moving target" as no specific time has been set.
Deputy President Kithure Kindinki during a consultative meeting with MPs from Laikipia, Nyandarua, Nakuru, Kiambu, Murang'a, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Embu, Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties at his official residence in Karen, Nairobi on March 13, 2025.
Last Thursday's Karen meeting brought together 54 MPs from the region, during which the DP reportedly asked the leaders to outline some of the projects that are ready to be launched.
Attended by MPs from Laikipia, Nyandarua, Nakuru, Kiambu, Murang'a, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Embu, Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties, the forum's agenda was to review the progress of development projects and the implementation of government programmes.
According to Mathira MP Eric Wa Mumbi, the President will be in the region to commission projects and inspect others in what is seen as a strategy to pacify the region that has been hostile to his government since Mr Gachagua's ouster.
"We had a challenge with the compensation of land owners in Karatina for the construction of the Kenol-Marua dual carriageway, but the President has secured Sh2 billion for compensation and that is one of the projects he will inspect," Mr Wa Mumbi told the Nation in a telephone interview.
He said apart from Mathira where the President will commission a completed 30 kilometre road project and launch the second phase of a Sh162 million irrigation water project in Konya County, he will also inspect the construction of Mau Mau roads in Murang'a, Nyeri and Nyandarua for which Sh5 billion has already been allocated.
"The President will also hold talks with local leaders at Sagana State Lodge where we will outline the way forward for the region. One thing you can be sure of is that Dr Ruto is not giving up on Mt Kenya and we will do whatever it takes to win back the people of the region," said Mr Wa Mumbi.
Mr Kirima Ngucine, the Imenti Central MP who attended the Karen meeting with the DP last week, said they had made initial preparations for the President's tour.
"We are preparing for the visit, although we have not been informed of the exact dates and schedule," Mr Ngucine said by telephone, adding that the President will launch projects that have been stalled but for which funds have been allocated.
Speaking earlier, Prof Kindiki said they would not allow the President to be humiliated by launching projects that later stalled.
"I will work with the CSs and other officials involved in the projects so that we are sure that the project launched by the Head of State has a budget allocation. We don't want embarrassing moments where the President launches a project and it stalls midway," the DP said.
Gatanga MP Edward Muriu, an ally of Mr Gachagua, told the Nation that they had been sidelined in the preparations. He said they had not been invited to the Karen meeting.
However, he claimed that some of the MPs who attended the Karen meeting told him that they could not agree on the dates of the trip because there were no projects to start.
"When they went for a meeting at Prof Kindiki's office, they could not agree because there were no projects to start. Most of the projects in the region were launched by former President Uhuru Kenyatta and were re-launched by Mr Ruto," said Mr Muriu.
"If he needs our participation, he should invite us and we will dutifully remind him of the promises he made to the people," he said.
Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni told Nation that the region has made up its mind on the kind of leader it wants in 2027 and no amount of visits and projects would salvage the current political situation.
He said they expect the President to complete the projects started during Uhuru's tenure.
"It is not a favour the region is asking him to do, it is a right. Even if he wants to campaign, let him do it peacefully without the kind of thuggery we witnessed in Nairobi. We also don't expect any form of political attacks on the leaders of the region," he added.
' The damage is done'
"But I can tell you that the damage has already been done and people have made their positions known ahead of 2027. I don't think this tour can do anything to salvage the situation," he added.
Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Gathiru alias MejjaDonk, another ally of Mr Gachagua, said they would ask the President to tell the people why he instigated the removal of some of the region's MPs from powerful parliamentary committees.
Some of the MPs affected by the recent purge in Parliament included Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia, who was chair of the Regional Integration Committee; her Githunguri counterpart Gathoni Wamuchomba, who was chair of the Constitutional Implementation Monitoring Committee; James Gakuya (Embakasi North), who was chair of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives; and Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu), who was chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee.
But even as Dr Ruto plans to tour the region, the former DP has criticised the Head of State, claiming that the President is planning another purge of government officials from Mt Kenya with the aim of replacing 15 Principal Secretaries with those aligned to Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga.
"We are aware that Mr Odinga will get 10 PS posts and the government reshuffle will mainly target people from our region, especially those perceived to be my supporters, which is very unfortunate and unfair," Mr Gachagua said in an interview with Kameme FM on Monday.
Commenting on the President's planned tour, Mr Gachagua said Dr Ruto was welcome "but he should be ready to tell the people of the region why he removed MPs from leadership positions in Parliament and gave them to Mr Odinga".
Mr Gachagua took issue with the removal of Mr Nyoro, saying it was unfair as the Kiharu MP had not indicated that he was his supporter.
He wondered why, after removing those perceived to be his supporters, he did not remove those who were supporting him.
"Does this mean that those in the region who support him are not fit to take up the positions? We don't want him to come and start projects that have no funding. He should first complete stalled projects launched by Uhuru Kenyatta and come and commission them," he said.
On the country's economy, Mr Gachagua said the President had failed the "hustlers" who, instead of easing their economic burden, had made life unbearable by imposing more taxes.
"For example, the affordable housing project was supposed to be done with public funds, but when we came into office, he changed, and I protested, and that is where the problems between me and him started. How can you justify that salaried people who have mortgages and others who are servicing loans they secured to build their houses are still paying the tax?" he asked.
"The reason is that affordable housing is a money-making project. There are certain people who are supplying building materials, and government officials are taking a cut from these companies," Mr Gachagua claimed.
The former DP called for unity among people from the Mt Kenya region, saying he was open to supporting anyone from any part of the country for the presidency.
"We are ready to support anybody to contest for the presidency because in 2022 when we almost voted for President Ruto, we showed that we can support any other person from other communities," he said.
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