President Uhuru Kenyatta will visit Kandara constituency in Murang’a County on Thursday, the first such trip to the region since he publicly announced he would not support Deputy President William Ruto to succeed him in the August 9 polls.
The President ignored the perception that Dr Ruto is Mt Kenya’s favourite presidential aspirant and endorsed ODM leader Raila Odinga, who is seen as unpopular among the region’s voters.
President Kenyatta will attend an “Holy Oil” event convened by the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA) in Gakarara.
The visit will coincide with countrywide primaries for DP Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), in what could be its biggest test yet in Mt Kenya and his Rift Valley backyard.
The church has splintered into three groups, led by three archbishops – Laurence Njoroge, Frederick Wang’ombe and Simon Muthuri.
“But the President has worked so hard to (reconcile) the three and as of now there is a truce where a rotational leadership has been brokered, with Mr Muthuri scheduled to lead until next year,” said national AIPCA chairman Paul Gichu.
“The President brokered the deal through Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi, Senator Mithika Linturi and Central Imenti MP Moses Kirima.”
Mr Njoroge already served his rotational term of one year and after Archbishop Muthuri finishes his, he will hand over the reins to Mr Wang’ombe.
Mr Njoroge said the President is mediating the dispute between the three splinter groups “as an interested party who leads the government that registers churches and members who are his subjects and in full knowledge that when the members are in conflict, the nation is in conflict”.
“We are coming together once again after 16 years of separation and we are happy in God’s grace that this is now possible courtesy of the President’s efforts,” he said.
AIPCA has hosted Dr Ruto, including on September 4, 2020, when two youths allied to President’s wing of Jubilee were lynched by those allied to the DP ahead of the latter’s fundraiser for the church’s branch in Kenol, Murang’a.
For the past one week, Kandara constituency has been swarming with security agents organising the President’s visit.
“We know you people around here are very active in politics. We want to make sure that you separate your local politics from a state visit,” said a team leader of the agents.
“The President is not coming to politic … Ours is to ensure that you all behave and conform to expected behaviour during a presidential visit.”
Kandara sub-county police boss Michael Mwaura said: “It is all systems go and we have close-knit ground teams that have been collecting intelligence, correlating it and using it to come up with action plans.”
In Murang’a County, Senator Irungu Kang’ata, Kandara MP Alice Wahome, Maragua MP Mary wa Maua and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro support Dr Ruto bid for the presidency, while Gatanga MP Nduati Ngugi, Kigumo’s Wangari Mwaniki, Kangema’s Muturi Kigano and Mathioya’s Peter Kimari are behind Mr Odinga’s bid.
Mr Kang’ata, who said he will not attend the President’s function, is seeking the Murang’a governor’s seat.
“I hope he will not cancel the visit and proceed to deny that he never intended to show up, like he did recently when he called us to a State House meeting through messages on our phones only to later disown the invites,” Dr Kang’ata said.
The President’s visit coincides with UDA nominations, with Kiambu, Embu and Murang’a counties among the hotly contested areas.
In Kiambu, Thika MP Wainaina wa Jungle, former governor Ferdinand Waititu, Senator Kimani wa Matangi and Eric Muturi will be squaring it out for the governor’s ticket while in Embu nominated MP Cecily Mbarire will face off with Manyata MP John Muchiri.
Across the region, the UDA nominations are hottest for the woman rep and MCA tickets, with most aspirants for governor, senator and MP being settled through internal consensus.
“There are some who have said that the President is coming to Kandara on such a day so as to progress sabotage for Dr Ruto and his UDA nominations. But the President is not a UDA or Dr Ruto’s supporter,” said Mr Ngugi, the Murang’a County parliamentarians whip.
“He was invited by the church and not by any political wing. He is not slated to address a public rally, though he might ‘greet’ people at several stop points…”
Ordinarily, Mr Ngugi said, “those of us who support the President and the Jubilee party from Mt Kenya region will show up at the function to demonstrate that we are firmly behind him and he is not isolated as UDA and its activists are insinuating during their deceptive and defeatist campaigns”.
But Ms Wahome, a diehard supporter of Dr Ruto and UDA, said “it is his (President’s) right to go wherever he wants, including to Kandara”.
She said she welcomes him to her constituency, which he hasn’t visited since December 29, 2019 when he attended the burial of Charles Rubia, a champion of the multiparty democracy.
“I welcome him but I urge him to desist from politicising the event. I take this early opportunity to welcome him but he should know that we and I will be on standby to receive him as he joins the Christians of Kandara,” she said.
She added that if circumstances allow, she will remind the President that he has pending promises to Kandara people “and also inform him that he has advisers in powerful positions at the Office of the President who are persecuting the church and the clergy”.
She cited a court case against a senior AIPCA church member “that was manufactured against him” because he opposed the church’s plans to host the President.
The visit also comes amid a public outcry about the escalating cost of living, high fuel prices and the invasion of African armyworms that are destroying fodder and food crops.
