Deputy President Kithure Kindiki during an engagement forum with Embu County leaders and grassroot opinion shapers.
The flurry of meetings Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has been holding at his Karen residence in Nairobi are raising political interest as he moves to assert himself and consolidate the Mt Kenya region.
On Thursday, January 23 Prof Kindiki had two engagements with leaders from Taita Taveta County before meeting more than 50 MPs from Mt Kenya region just two days after his predecessor Rigathi Gachagua met with Members of the County Assembly from Murang’a and Nakuru Counties.
The meeting of political leaders from different parts of the country labelled development meetings have become common at the official Deputy President’s residence which also has an office.
The Saturday Nation has, however, learnt that there is more to the talks with Prof Kindiki appearing keen to spread his political wings across the country through the elected leaders and influential individuals.
In a meeting with the leaders from Kajiado, Prof Kindiki said it would be unfair to pile pressure on President William Ruto to deliver on his development agenda before the end of his term.
“The President is serving a five-year term. He has just completed two years and some months. He is on track to deliver what he promised Kenyans. The President knows he has an exam to sit in 2027 and he will be ready for it,” Prof Kindiki said.
Sources within the DP’s inner circle aware of the details of the meetings say Prof Kindiki has started in earnest to build his political team with a national appeal hence the engagement of leaders from different parts of the country.
“The good Prof does not want to do things the same way his predecessor did, meeting only a delegation from Mt Kenya. He believes all parts of the country matter and the way to start is to work with the elected leaders,” the source, who spoke in confidence, said.
Prof Kindiki has accused his predecessor of not effectively using the office to unite Kenyans but conveniently choosing the path of divisive politics.
“My predecessor decided to use the hallowed and distinguished office of the Deputy President to play politics. That is his style and we wish him well and that is why it was tenable for him to remain in office,” Prof Kindiki said in his recent meeting with Embu leaders.
In most of the meetings, the leaders are urged to endear themselves to the people through amplifying success stories of the Ruto administration while giving assurances on stalled projects as part of salvaging the government’s image in the midst of negative public sentiments.
The meetings with the elected leaders are also part of the wider strategy by the Deputy President to start building a political machine in earnest for the re-election bid of President William Ruto.
In a meeting with leaders drawn from Embu County last week, the Deputy President said he will not only galvanise Mt Kenya behind President Ruto in 2027 but the entire country to support him for the second term.
“Someone asked if I would mobilise the Mt Kenya region for President William Samoei Ruto. My response is simple, I will mobilise Kenya in its entirety for President William Ruto and Mt Kenya is part of Kenya,” Prof Kindiki said.
The meeting preceded another he held with leaders from Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties in his quest to consolidate the region generally referred to as Mt Kenya East.
The source said in the meetings, that the Deputy President has been categorical to the leaders that they must prioritise development projects with the most effect to the masses.
Maara MP Kareke Mbiuki, who attended the Thursday meeting of Mt Kenya leaders, told Nation Africa that there is no politics but just development projects that will benefit the people.
“You know we wasted two years playing politics, we are now trying to recover that lost time on unfulfilled development projects that will benefit the people,” Mr Mbiuki said.
“There is nothing much on politics in the meetings, we are just looking at the promises that were made to the people and have not been fulfilled,” he added.
For the Mt Kenya region, sources said Prof Kindiki is rolling up his sleeves for the battle ahead and has urged leaders to continue engaging the people through development and not what he termed as ‘poisonous politics’
“Do you want to tell me that with all the Cabinet Secretaries in the government from Mt Kenya, none of the MPs can even go to their home villages and talk to people because of (Rigathi) Gachagua? That is not possible,” said the source.
Although Prof Kindiki has kept off the country’s hard-hitting politics, last week, he said that when the time comes, the Kenya Kwanza administration will go to the people and plead their case.
“We will do politics when the time comes. If you see somebody trying to shine three to four years before an election, that one is a loser. Strategic people know what they need to do now. When the time comes for mobilisation, we will come to the people and plead our case,” Prof Kindiki said.
A dispatch from the Deputy President after the Mt Kenya MPs on Thursday said the deliberations focused on development projects.
“Consultative meeting with a section of Members of Parliament from Murang’a to deliberate on priority development programmes and projects,” DP Kindiki said in a statement he shared on his X account.
The meeting with the Mt Kenya MPs came just a day after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua met with Murang’a Members of the County (MCAs) at his Wamunyoro residence in Nyeri.
Mr Gachagua also had a similar meeting with Nakuru MCAs on Tuesday which he described as “engagement with grassroots leaders".
In the meeting with leaders from Taita Taveta County, the Deputy President termed it as a development meeting although he rallied the leaders to support the broad based government.
“This a broad-based government. We are now one team — Team Kenya. Let us all support the broad-based agenda. We have agreed that political competition is over and there is now a government in place to serve all Kenyans,” Prof Kindiki said.
Prof Kindiki said the government is committed and focused on revitalising key critical chains such as agriculture, livestock, fishing and the blue economy to boost incomes and create jobs.
