The political contest in the Mt Kenya region has taken a new turn after Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) National Organising Secretary Mithika Linturi announced a truce with Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, saying his party will shift its attacks to President William Ruto.
Mr Linturi said the Rigathi Gachagua- led opposition outfit had resolved to stop attacking Prof Kindiki because “he is our son”, opening the possibility of an alliance with the Deputy President should he fall out with the ruling party.
Speaking during an interview with local media stations in Meru, Mr Linturi, who is seeking the Meru governorship, said he was willing to enter into pacts with political camps across the divide ahead of the 2027 General Election in what he described as an effort to protect the interests of the Meru people.
Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) National Organising Secretary Mithika Linturi(left) and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.
Photo credit: NMG
“While we have been attacking Prof Kindiki, we did not have any personal issues with him except his boss, President Ruto. We have agreed with my party leader that we leave Prof Kindiki alone because he is our son. If he is betrayed by the ruling party, we are willing to welcome him,” Mr Linturi told the panel of journalists.
He argued that continued attacks on Prof Kindiki by Mt Kenya leaders would weaken the Deputy President’s influence and authority within broad-based government alliances.
“Since President Ruto kicked us out of government, we wouldn’t want to see Kindiki suffering the same fate. By attacking him, he will be viewed like someone without backing at home,” he said.
Mr Linturi claimed that Meru was politically exposed because the county lacked an influential politician in the current administration.
“Meru is already exposed and the more we fight Deputy President Kindiki, the community will lose even more,” he said.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
He said the change in approach had been influenced partly by Prof Kindiki’s recent efforts to oppose calls to divide the Mt Kenya region into eastern and western blocs.
Mr Linturi also argued that continued attacks on the Deputy President risked splitting the Meru vote, which he expects to exceed one million in the 2027 election.
The former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary said he had tried without success to persuade Meru politicians to unite and consolidate the community’s political influence.
“If we cannot agree to vote as a block, we should at least agree that whoever is in the team that will form the next government shall take care of those who lose. That is what happened in 2022, when we appointed Bus Party leaders into government. When you win, you should not forget those who lose,” he said.
Mr Linturi’s remarks come days after Prof Kindiki was endorsed as the Mt Kenya spokesman by elders drawn from the Meru, Embu, Mbeere and Kikuyu communities.
The Deputy President and Mr Gachagua have previously engaged in bitter political exchanges over the unity and political leadership of the Mt Kenya region.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki (right) and DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
Prof Kindiki has maintained that he will respect his political rivals in the region and concentrate on uniting the Mt Kenya vote behind President Ruto.
Mr Linturi’s latest position also comes three weeks after the Deputy President urged political leaders in Meru to respect him even as they pursue their opposition agenda.
In Meru, Prof Kindiki is facing opposition from former Agriculture Minister Peter Munya of the Party of National Unity (PNU), Governor Kawira Mwangaza of the Umoja na Maendeleo Party (UMP), and Mr Linturi.
PNU party leader Peter Munya, ousted Meru governor Kawira Mwangaza and former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi.
Photo credit: NMG
Mr Munya, Ms Mwangaza and Mr Linturi are all seeking the Meru governorship and are aligned with the united opposition and the Linda Mwananchi movement.
Ms Mwangaza has particularly stepped up her criticism of President Ruto and Prof Kindiki, accusing them of backing efforts to impeach her as governor.
“My impeachment happened because the President and his deputy endorsed it. Why should they get a second term, yet they did not let me finish even one term?” Ms Mwangaza posed.
Mr Munya, meanwhile, has vowed to rally Meru residents against the government arguing that Prof Kindiki’s position has not benefited the people of the county.
“We cannot continue to suffer under this government just because ‘our son’ is part of it. We must send this administration home in 2027,” Mr Munya has said.
Former Meru Governor Peter Munya.
Photo credit: Courtesy | PSCU
But speaking in Meru recently, Prof Kindiki urged the three politicians to end their hostilities promising to secure them positions in the next government.
He called on the politicians in his backyard not to drag him into local political battles saying this would allow him to concentrate on national issues.
“I urge Linturi, Munya and Mwangaza to stop fighting me because I respect them all. Munya is my agemate and we taught at the university together. Linturi is my brother and I have no problem with Mwangaza,” the Deputy President said.
“How can you claim to be looking for the presidency, yet we are already in power? When President Ruto and I win in 2027, we will all have won. I will secure slots for them in the government,” he said.
Prof Kindiki urged the three politicians to seek votes without making him the focus of their campaigns.
“I am not vying for any county or constituency seat in Meru. Why are you fighting me? Why don’t you compete with those at your level?” he posed.
In Tharaka Nithi, the Deputy President warned that he could keep off the county if politicians seeking elective positions continued dragging him into their local battles.
“You don’t have to prove how senior a politician you are by calling me names. Some of them look like they are possessed because they cannot speak without talking about me. I am not your competitor,” he said.
Prof Kindiki questioned why he should face fierce opposition in his backyard when, in his view, his position represented a historic opportunity for the region.
“This is the first time we have a Meru leader in the presidency,” he said.
