Renewed push to reconcile Uhuru, President Ruto ignites storm
EAC-led Nairobi Peace Process Facilitator Uhuru Kenyatta, Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye and President William Ruto ahead of the official opening of the Third Inter-Congolese Consultations of the Nairobi Peace Process at Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi on November 28, 2022.
A fresh plan by the Kikuyu Council of Elders for a new reconciliation bid between President William Ruto and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta has sparked a storm, with key allies of the two leaders saying such a process was unnecessary.
The elders’ initiative, which is supposed to be spearheaded by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, will not be the first one after several attempts by the same elders and the clergy ahead of the August General Election did not bear fruit. Council chairman Wachira Kiago says they want to reunite the two leaders who fell out after the 2017 General Election.
“Our aim is to end the bitter rivalry and divisions witnessed in the run-up to, and during the last elections, which saw Uhuru back Raila Odinga as his preferred successor. This is also meant to unite the Kikuyu with other communities across the country. These (Ruto and Uhuru) are the first people who should unite as we go ahead with other communities. The new year will be a new dawn for this country,” said Mr Kiago.
Preliminary goal
He spoke on Saturday in Ol Kalou Arboretum in Nyandarua County. Yesterday, he told the Nation that the efforts were on but would start with uniting the former President and DP Gachagua, Mr Kenyatta’s former personal assistant, who turned into his harshest critic.
“2023 should be the year of unity. We were divided last year by elections, but now we want to come back together, starting with our two leaders Uhuru Kenyatta and Rigathi Gachagua. The public spat during the elections and even after is bad. If they unite, it is actually the whole community that benefits. We will then extend our efforts to other communities and leaders, starting at the top,” said Mr Kiago in an interview with the Nation.
The elders’ plans, however, have not resonated with Mr Kenyatta’s and Dr Ruto’s allies who insist the energy should instead be directed to the economic recovery of the country. Yesterday, allies of Dr Ruto told the Nation that once Mr Kenyatta’s political move—that of backing Mr Odinga for the presidency—failed, Mt Kenya forgot about him.
According to Gatundu South MP Gabriel Kagombe, the residents of the Central region have moved on and recognise DP Gachagua as their new political kingpin.
“Who is Uhuru now when it comes to Mt Kenya? We have moved on and the kingpin of the region is Rigathi Gachagua, hence we have no business with Uhuru Kenyatta now. We never cared about Mwai Kibaki when he left office because that is the Kikuyu nation,” said Mr Kagombe, popularly known as GG.
“Those who are pushing for this reconciliation are Uhuru apologists. They refused to listen to us during the campaigns when we told them that Azimio was not going to win, why should we listen to them now? The elders did not start now.”
Political leadership
Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba, an ardent supporter of Dr Ruto and DP Gachagua, asked the elders to start by reconciling the Mt Kenya leaders before proceeding to others. “Before Uhuru broke off with Ruto, he had broken off with his home county political leadership, accusing them of following Ruto. Those mediating should focus on the local political leadership first before reaching out to Ruto. They should also reach out to other Mt Kenya political leaders too,” she said.
Kikuyu Council of Elders patron Captain Kungu Muigai, who is also the retired President’s cousin, was yesterday bullish saying that although there is a plan to reconcile Dr Ruto, Mr Kenyatta and Azimio boss Raila Odinga, they are yet to conceptualise the idea.
“We have not kicked off such a process, but we have a plan. We will talk to all leaders, including my friend Tinga (Mr Odinga),” Mr Muigai told the Nation.
On Saturday, Kiama Kia Ama Association chairman Ndungu Gaithuma said for the sake of the community's unity and future political engagements, they need to reunite the leaders. “For the country to become one, Uhuru, Rigathi and Ruto should show us the way. We will be at the forefront of making them at peace in the next (this) year. This is the only way we can develop,” he said.
Sideshows
But Jubilee secretary general Jeremiah Kioni, an ally of the former president, asked the elders to avoid sideshows, saying the Kenya Kwanza administration should focus on fulfilling its campaign pledges. “The former president handed over power to Ruto and he has stayed away from the country’s political limelight.
Therefore, Ruto should focus on delivering on his campaign pledges. The reconciliation calls are just sideshows to distract the public from what the government should be doing,” he said.
The former Ndaragwa MP added: “There are no differences between Uhuru and Ruto that can put a stop to them delivering on campaign pledges. The council of elders should not engage in sideshows like reconciliation and issues of the kingpin. It will come up naturally.”
Mr Kioni disclosed that a section of elders had reached out to him with the reconciliation idea but he insisted that Dr Ruto has to apologise to his former boss.
“Ruto undermined Uhuru, therefore, the so-called reconciliation should only start by Ruto apologising like Uhuru did to Raila in 2018 and opening a new chapter. He (Dr Ruto) peddled a lot of lies about the Jubilee administration with the aim of the public hating Uhuru,” he said.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, another ally of Dr Ruto, said reconciliation “is a misguided missile on the wrong target”.
“These two gallant sons of this nation have no differences. The differences that existed before the last general election were political. Those asking DP Gachagua to spearhead this reconciliation should know that the Deputy President is busy,” said Mr Barasa.
Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda, another Ruto ally, said the move by the Kikuyu elders is ethnocentric and should be discouraged. “We can’t support it because Kenya belongs to neither Kikuyu nor William Ruto,” he said.
The efforts by the elders come barely days after Dr Ruto, while meeting leaders from his political bastion of Rift Valley, maintained that Mr Kenyatta frustrated and humiliated him, despite his loyalty. Since leaving office, Mr Kenyatta has been in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the facilitator of the East African Community-led Nairobi peace process and African Union peace envoy.
East African Legislative Assembly member David Sankok said that as long as the plan will not interfere with the fight against graft, he welcomes it, noting that Dr Ruto must not relent in the war on corruption. “Some of us were fought by Uhuru but are ready to forgive him,” he said.
