Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has framed the contest in Mt Kenya as between leaders championing community interest and sellouts, the latter tag upsetting his critics mostly allied to President Ruto.
And Mr Gachagua has imposed a December 31 deadline to regional leaders who are not “listening to the ground” – a disguised reference to his critics- to change course as beyond then they will face public backlash in 2027 General Election.
"I am a man who goes around the villages listening to the ground. I can assure you that voters have already made some serious decisions about 2027 and I am afraid beyond that deadline, you will be thrown under the bus," the DP said on August 17 in Kiambu County.
With roughly only 20 MPs and governors from Mt Kenya on his side, Mr Gachagua has acknowledged his wing has the minority, for now, but has insisted "I would rather have a few dependable soldiers," than be in the midst of many turncoats.
But as he steps up his campaign to unite Mt Kenya, tapping on discontent in the region, as well as on the back of recent political developments including President Ruto’s truce with opposition leader Raila Odinga, the DP is gradually turning the tide.
To many political pundits, when Mr Gachagua becomes riotous about his opponents in the mountain, the name that immediately comes to the fore is that of Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro--the man that is on the president’s side in most visits, including Saturday’s homecoming for one of Mr Odinga’s allies he recently appointed to Cabinet, Wycliffe Oparanya.
Lately, Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri has become the face of the resistance against the deputy president in Mt Kenya, with the exchanges between the two escalating to personal attacks.
The two have used derogatory words against each other to a point where elders have announced plans to reconcile the two.
"We wish to have these two leaders on friendly terms. There are certain things they are saying about each other that are way outside our norms as a community. It can only happen where mutual respects have collapsed. We will rebuild those respects," said Kikuyu Council of Elders chairman Mr Wachira Kiago.
Mr Kiunjuri has taken the onslaught against Mr Gachagua from where National Assembly Majority Leader Mr Kimani Ichung'wa left with the case against the DP being he wants to have a stranglehold on the region’s political destiny.
This is a position shared in the President's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) with party Secretary General Mr Hassan Omar accusing Mr Gachagua of trying to impose himself as the region’s gatekeeper.
"The president and his supporters won't be intimidated by someone who has imposed himself as a gatekeeper. No one will solely hold the key to any region come 2027 for Kenyans are resolute that they want national mindsets to birth future governments," said Mr Omar, defending President Ruto’s State House meeting with leaders from Mt Kenya in the absence of his deputy.
But allies of Mr Gachagua insist he is speaking the people’s language and anyone teaming up with his rivals to undermine him will face the community’s wrath in the fullness of time.
"What is making the deputy president a huge political problem to those not singing his tune is the fact that he appears to have all of a sudden conquered the ground," said Kieni MP Mr Njoroge Wainaina.
Mr Wainaina told Nation.Africa that "from a man who started as a political weakling many thought could be tossed around, to a vocal man who knew no fears, to the now man of the moment in Mt Kenya region, Gachagua has become a ground force no one can ignore.”
The MP added that "how he has outfoxed his impeachment plotters and taken the National Intelligence Service (NIS) into a rabbit hole regarding violent face of Gen Z protests has dumbfounded his foes.”
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (left), Roysambu MP Mwafrika Kamande (centre) and Embakasi North MP James Gakuya at ACK St Arimathea Church in Roysambu on August 25, 2024.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
Kirinyaga Senator Mr Kamau Murango also told Nation Africa that "when the rubber meets the tarmac, all those who think they can survive by fishing what is already in our basket will be in for a rude shock.”
Mr Murango said "instead of scheming on how to bring down the deputy president--the most senior seat that we have--we should be mobbing it with support to make it even better in the next hunting expedition due in 2027.”
According to former Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri, the DP has surprised many by turning out to be an imposing stump in Mt Kenya politics that risks tripping dozens of political careers.
"Mr Gachagua is now the most popular politician among Mt Kenya voters,” Mr Ngunjiri said. "What remains to come out of perspective is the roadmap towards 2027, the political party for Mt Kenya and the favourite coalition,” he added.
Such preemptive talk from Gachagua's ever growing list of converts is the one that is making his opponents feel that he intends to throw the president under the bus towards the 2027 campaign period, making them want to find a survival strategy.
Among those who have recently sought to blunt Mr Gachagua’s campaigns is Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof Kithure Kindiki who has since dismissed the ‘one man one shilling mantra’ the DP initially advocated for as tribal and divisive.
Asked about a campaign to elevate him over the deputy president, Mr Nyoro on August 12 told Nation.Africa "not at any given moment will I be available to comment on such politics.”
"I do not want to be part of those stories. Never seek my comment on matters regarding such exchanges since they will serve no value in the journey here now and into the future,” Mr Nyoro said then.
This is despite recurrent utterances by the likes of Murang'a Senator Mr Joe Nyutu who more than once has insisted that Mr Nyoro is the only sure bet for President Ruto to conquer the Mountain one more time like he did in 2022.
Political analyst Mr Gasper Odhiambo has observed that Mr Gachagua appears to be running using the outside lane noting it is "a line that is mostly used by overconfident runners so sure of their game plan.”
He said Mr Gachagua has started building his own young Turks "mostly manifest in the likes of Kirinyaga woman rep Njeri Maina, Githunguri MP Ms Gathoni wa Muchomba, nominated MP Ms Teresiah Wairimu, Nyandarua Senator Mr John Methu and Kiambu's Karungo wa Thang'wa among others.”
The DP has not made it a secret that he is assembling a counter attack team of youngsters to take on his opposition that is seen to be fronted by Dr Ruto's young Turks.
"I desire to nurture our upcoming politicians who will act as defenders of our community, to found a team that is not inclined to the formation of turncoats. I would rather have a few dependable soldiers," Mr Gachagua said recently in Kiambu County.
His statement appeared to be a response to Mr Kiunjuri who has since posed to him how he (Gachagua) intends to build his status in the region that has less than 10 elected leaders who publicly declare allegiance to him.
But Nyeri governor Mr Mutahi Kahiga declared last Thursday that "the deputy president's forte are the ordinary voters, not elected leaders.”
He said history is complete with case study of 2022 when Dr Ruto's opponents in Mt Kenya had a horde of elected leaders on their side but lost to the determination of the voters.
Former Kiambu governor Mr Ferdinand Waititu told Nation.Africa that all the math being calculated by anyone in Mt Kenya must agree to the ideal marking scheme of "one of our own".
Mr Waititu said "2027 even for Gachagua must be about us contesting the presidency and if not, enter a coalition riding in our own political party and with a written memorandum of understanding with the favourite candidate and who must not be Ruto".
Mr Odhiambo said "the tussle for the mountain between Mr Gachagua and his boss is interesting because both have unique advantages--one with executive muscle that can reward or deny, the other with the advantage of nativity speaking area mother tongue".
Mr Odhiambo added that "politics being local, Gachagua only needs to apply strategic patience, submit to his boss so that the region can get the rewards, then if need be, break away at the last moment and mother tongue passion shall prevail".
“It does not matter that the president has his own natives in the region singing to his tune since the point of departure of the mountaineers from him is himself after he brought in Mr Odinga into a government they had passionately embraced intending to keep the Azimio boss as far away possible from State House,” Mr Odhiambo said.
"The tussle for the mountain between Mr Gachagua and his boss is interesting because both have unique advantages--one with executive muscle that can reward or deny, the other with the advantage of nativity speaking area mother tongue," Mr Odhiambo said, adding that "politics being local, Gachagua only needs to apply strategic patience, submit to his boss so that the region can get the rewards, then if need be, break away at the last moment and mother tongue passion shall prevail."
“It does not matter that the president has his own natives in the region singing to his tune since the point of departure of the mountaineers from him is himself after he brought in Mr Odinga into a government they had passionately embraced intending to keep the Azimio boss as far away possible from State House,” Mr Odhiambo argued.
