Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and former DP Rigathi Gachagua are locked in a fierce battle, with their bases in Karen and Wamunyoro serving as mobilisation hubs.
The great battle for the political soul of the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 general election between Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and his predecessor Rigathi Gachagua is officially on and raging.
The battle lines are clearly drawn, with each of the duo's troops having already taken up positions in what some critics are calling the battle of the 'political hotels', as delegations flock to Prof Kindiki's official Karen residence in Nairobi and Mr Gachagua's Wamunyoro Nyeri home.
Both have transformed their bases into homes of political mobilisation ahead of 2027, receiving delegations on a daily basis, with those from Mt Kenya making up the bulk of the reception and all participants coming out with full mouths.
After weeks of hosting various delegations at his Karen home, Prof Kindiki has embarked on what has been described as a "development tour" of the region, which is being closely watched by the Gachagua camp.
In Mt Kenya, it is not uncommon to hear light-hearted conversations in the midst of raging political debates, with questions such as "What's new on the menu at our Karen and Wamunyoro hotels?" or "Are you currently eating at Wamunyoro or Karen hotel?".
Both Prof Kindiki and Mr Gachagua hail from the vote-rich Mt Kenya region, which gave Dr Ruto 87 per cent of its votes in 2022, putting the region in a near life-or-death situation for him if he wants a second term in State House.
Mr Gachagua has since dismissed Prof Kindiki as a "presidential protégé with unquestioning loyalty to the praise and worship team that fools the president into thinking all is well when it is not".
For his part, Prof Kindiki, who is on a mission to win back a sulking and rebellious Mount ahead of President William Ruto's re-election bid, has dismissed Mr Gachagua as "an irrelevant man who has fallen out of favour and failed to deliver on his mandate during his tenure as deputy".
While Mr Gachagua has dismissed Prof Kindiki as a man who was fronted by the President to divide and rule the mountain along East and West lines, the Deputy President insisted that he was his own man out to deliver the development agenda instead of playing politics.
"We cannot take instructions from a man who was recently the deputy president but never worked to deliver on the development promise. He is only creating tribal and regional divisions," Prof Kindiki said on January 29, 2025, when he met the Tharaka Nithi delegation from his home region.
Prof Kindiki vowed to advance President Ruto's cause in the mountain and the country at large with development as his script.
However, Mr Gachagua has vowed that Mt Kenya will not vote for Dr Ruto in 2027 and will instead follow him to an election he will lead.
"I will be announcing the direction on Sunday, February 2, 2025. The direction will have nothing to do with embracing President Ruto. I will ensure that Mt Kenya remains locked away from him," said Mr Gachagua.
Speaking at the re-launch of DAP Kenya in Nairobi, Mr Gachagua said: "This man has conned an entire community... a community that is proud and rich... I intend to work tirelessly to show him how to respect trust."
But when Prof Kindiki met a delegation from Murang'a County, where Kangema MP Peter Kihungi has moved from the Gachagua camp, he called it a bluff: "We will do battle and Kenyans will have two options as different and unique as day and darkness as to where to follow.
Mr Kihungi in his departure message from Wamunyoro said: "It becomes difficult to deliver on the mandate I have from my constituents if I am at loggerheads with the government and I hope President Ruto can reconcile with Mr Gachagua so that we can serve our region and people well".
Political commentator Prof Peter Kagwanja says the competition between Karen and Wamunyoro is driven by emotions, with fear of the powers that be and passions on the ground.
"There are those who want to be in Wamunyoro, but they dare not go for fear of the powers that be. Others would like to be in Karen but are afraid of the passions on the ground. A few want peace and reconciliation between Wamunyoro and Karen, but the battle of egos over the issue won't provide a voice of reason," he said.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino says the two camps are one and the same.
"The Karen camp chased Gachagua out of government by branding him a tribalist. But this government is all about tribalism. There is no difference between Gachagua, Kindiki and President Ruto," he said.
Mr Owino added that "what separates them today is that Mr Gachagua has joined the side of the people who are rightly complaining that the country is being governed towards the ditch and Kenyans must stand up and say no".
Governors in the Mt Kenya region have shied away from setting up camp in Wamunyoro, which is safe for Nyeri's Mutahi Kahiga and Nyandarua's Kiarie Badilisha.
Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata has given mixed signals but is leaning towards Wamunyoro.
It was not lost on pundits that a delegation of more than 20 of his MCAs visited Wamunyoro, accompanied by his right-hand man, Mr Noah Gachucha, who was Dr Kang'ata's personal assistant and is currently the chief executive officer in the Youth, Sports and Culture docket.
But Wamunyoro boasts the majority of MCAs in the Mt Kenya clustered counties of Tharaka Nithi, Meru, Nyeri, Laikipia, Embu, Kirinyaga, Murang'a, Kiambu, Nyandarua and Nakuru.
Wamunyoro only has the direct support of Senators Joe Nyutu of Murang'a, John Kinyua of Laikipia, John Methu of Nyandarua and Kamau Murango of Kirinyaga.
Mr Gachagua also has the support of Embu MP Njoki Njeru and Kirinyaga MP Njeri Maina.
The MPs supporting Mr Gachagua are concentrated in Murang'a where Maragua's Mary wa Maua, Gatanga's Edward Muriu, Joseph Munyoro (Kigumo) and Chege Njuguna (Kandara) have publicly endorsed him.
He has Githunguri's Gathoni wa Muchomba, Manyatta's Gitonga Mukunji, Runyenjes' Muchangi Karemba, Kipipiri's Wanjiku Muhia, Mukurwei-ini's John Kaguchia and Tetu's Geoffrey Wandeto.
Subukia's Samuel Gachobe, Gilgil's Martha Wangari, Naivasha's Jayne Kihara and Njoro's Charity Kathambi are others who are loyal to Wamunyoro.
Although Prof Kindiki enjoys the support of most of Mt Kenya's elected leaders, he has failed to stamp his authority on the region, but Kenya Cultural Centre board chairman Kung'u Muigai says, "We are setting the stage right".
Mr Muigai told Nation.Africa on Friday, January 31, 2025: "Mr Gachagua is fighting a losing battle because by the time this government rolls out the Mt Kenya development agenda, he will have nothing."
mwangilink@gmail.com
