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Deputy President Kithure Kindiki (left) former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and President William Ruto.
The scramble for the Meru, Tharaka Nithi and Embu voting bloc has intensified, with at least seven political parties jostling for influence in the region.
While the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) have been strengthening their grassroots networks in what is now referred to as Mt Kenya East, several regional parties have also emerged as the 2027 General Election approaches.
Following the appointment of Prof Kithure Kindiki as Deputy President last year, efforts to consolidate government support in his backyard have intensified even as his predecessor, Rigathi Gachagua, seeks to keep the mountain region in the opposition fold.
Backed by Cabinet Secretaries Geoffrey Ruku and Eric Mugaa, along with other government allies from the region, Prof Kindiki has been working tirelessly to secure his home base amid rising opposition.
Riding on the recent win at the Mbeere North by-election, CS Ruku expressed confidence that the Mt Kenya East voting bloc would remain solidly behind President William Ruto ahead of the 2027 elections.
“We cannot afford to share the spoils with the opposition in Mt Kenya East in 2027. If we do not vote for President Ruto en masse, we will have weakened the influence of Prof Kindiki. We cannot afford to divide the vote,” Mr Ruku said during a church service in Tharaka Nithi.
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku at a past event at the Kenya School of Government, Nairobi on September 21, 2025.
With more than 1.1 million registered voters in 2022, the Mt Kenya East bloc is shaping up as a key battleground for both pro-government and opposition parties.
Initially, the Party of National Unity (PNU) led by Peter Munya, the Devolution Empowerment Party (DEP, also known as Bus) led by Lenny Kivuti, the Democratic Party (DP) under Justin Muturi and Mpuru Aburi’s National Ordinary Peoples Empowerment Union (Nopeu) were the dominant parties in the region.
However, last year, former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza launched the Umoja na Maendeleo Party (UMP), followed by the Economic Pillars Alliance (TEPA), associated with Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma.
Recently, the Mazingira Greens Party of Kenya (MGP) changed leadership, appointing former Meru County executive Martin Bikuri as party leader, replacing the late former North Imenti MP Silas Muriuki.
Currently, PNU, DEP, DP and UMP have aligned with the United Opposition while NOPEU and TEPA are largely pro-government.
The Mazingira Greens Party has yet to declare its political stance.
Prof Kindiki has been linked to efforts by Tigania East MP Mpuru Aburi to revamp the NOPEU party in Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties.
President William Ruto and Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki arrive for the launch of the NYOTA Business Capital Support for young businesspeople at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, Nairobi on January 19, 2026.
The Deputy President’s Chief of Staff, Gideon Kimathi, has been attending NOPEU meetings and urging residents to support the party.
“Forming a party, popularising it and recruiting members until it gets a Member of Parliament is no mean feat. NOPEU is a national party because it is represented in Parliament by Mpuru Aburi. The people of Meru should support this party,” Mr Kimathi said during the launch of NOPEU’s grassroots campaign late last year.
Meanwhile, Mr Munya has been opening PNU branch offices and activating networks across Meru County while Mwangaza’s UMP has expanded its reach to the Mbeere North and Baringo by-elections.
UMP is also fielding candidates in upcoming by-elections in Evurore and Muminji wards, Embu County.
Ms Mwangaza faces stiff competition from UDA, DEP, PNU and NOPEU parties, which she accuses of mobilising MCAs to attempt her impeachment multiple times.
“I will be the UMP gubernatorial candidate in 2027. Rival parties should prepare for a gruelling political battle. Let them get ready because I am coming back to complete the work I started,” Ms Mwangaza said in a recent media interview.
The tussle over party alignment also triggered a split within the Bus Party, forcing Kiraitu Murungi’s allies to exit.
While Mr Murungi’s faction supports President Ruto, another wing led by Party Leader Lenny Kivuti and Secretary-General Mugambi Imanayara has taken the opposition stance.
With unity in DEP no longer tenable, Mr Murungi was the first to leave, followed by his allies in December.
“We could not agree among ourselves on which side to support. The Bus Party has become a divided house. Since our mentor Kiraitu Murungi left the party, we could not remain,” said former Bus Meru branch secretary Alhaji Mwendia, who led his colleagues in defecting to TEPA.
He added that Mr Murungi’s allies joined TEPA because it supports current Meru Governor Isaac Mutuma.
Mr Murungi’s exit was felt during a recent party delegates conference in Embu, after DEP’s elected and nominated MCAs in Meru failed to attend. Mr Imanayara threatened to eject all nominated MCAs in Meru for failing to follow party lines, though the threat has yet to be enforced.
The Bus Party, alongside DP, is working closely in Embu County as it squares off against the ruling party in upcoming by-elections.
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