Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua during an interview at his Karen home on December 1, 2024.
The ‘Murima’ (Mountain) that ousted Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had warned President William Ruto and his allies not to touch, but was ignored, is expected to take a new political direction in the closing days of January 2025.
All eyes are now on the promised announcement by Mr Gachagua that could be among the big political events in Mt Kenya region in the New Year — and which could shape the 2027 elections, as well as President Ruto’s re-election bid.
"The direction will be about running away from the betrayal that we have been accorded. We will be saying no to politics of enslavement. It will be about correcting the mistakes that saw us trust blindly and gave our 87 per cent of voted to Dr Ruto in an unstructured arrangement," Mr Gachagua recently told Inooro FM, a Central Kenya vernacular radio station.
Mr Gachagua's right-hand man, Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, on Thursday hinted what the bombshell could be.
"Essentially, in the announcement will be about herding the willing Mountaineers out of UDA. The mountain must have its political identity, trademark and cause. Majority have demanded so,” Mr Kahiga said.
Mr Gachagua further hinted that he will be naming the region's party "and because we know state agents will frustrate us in registering a brand new one, we will take over an existing one."
Former Kiambu governor Ferdinand Waititu has been more candid.
"The political party we have in mind has its base in Mt Kenya East (Meru, Embu and Tharaka Nthi) and at one time prominently served this country," he said.
Mr Waititu further hinted that "what we have in mind is a 15 million voters' movement where Wiper Party boss Mr Kalonzo Musyoka is expected to give us 4 million, we in Mt Kenya contribute 10 million and other allies give us 1 million to kick President Ruto out of power".
Murang'a Senator Joe Nyutu on Friday also disclosed that Mt Kenya intends to smoke out President Ruto and allies into a combat within Mt Kenya region.
"The president has been cautious not to appoint elected leaders in Mt Kenya region into his broad based cabinet fearing facing the voters in a by-election," he said.
"We will force that duel on him by having volunteers in the Gachagua battalion to resign and seek a fresh mandate using the new party," Mr Nyutu said.
"Personally I am more than ready to resign and send Murang'a people into the ballot so that they can express themselves to President Ruto on what awaits him in 2027," he added.
Mr Waititu said among the reasons why this government has not been committed to reconstitute the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is “the fear to face the public in areas where by-election are pending”.
"We will also launch a move to recall our elected leaders who have not been serving residents as per ground aspirations," he said.
Other big political debates will be about former president Uhuru Kenyatta's recent handshake with President Ruto and how their newfound camaraderie relations will affect the region's race to 2027.
However, Jubilee Party – where Mr Kenyatta is the party leader — Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni dismissed the supposed handshake as blown out of proportion.
"I can assure you that our party leader (Mr Kenyatta) did not get into discussions about how to support any of the political discourses," he said.
Mr Kioni added his party was not alarmed that the former Deputy President is taking the mountain to any political pact.
Former Gatanga MP Nduati Ngugi says the debate about Mr Kenyatta is unfair given that people are pretending to speak on his behalf.
"What is so hard in waiting for Mr Kenyatta to make his moves known? Why pre-empt that he seeks to support President Ruto win a second term or regain acceptability in the mountain while all we need is wait for him to voice those moves if at all they are in the offing?” Mr Ngugi said.
"We are being unfair to Mr Kenyatta by trying to read his mind and imposing our opinions as those that he seeks to pursue in the mountain and the country at large," he added.
After Dr Ruto and Mr Gachagua partnered to contest the 2022 General Elections and won, after two years in power their 'wedding' collapsed.
Mr Gachagua was impeached as Deputy President last October and his position handed over to Prof Kithure Kindiki.
The impeachment sent the Mountain region into fits of anger now being expressed in open hostilities against President Ruto and his allies, including through public heckling.
This brings in another political force in Mt Kenya as the president and his allies stage programmes to regain favour among area voters.
According to Governor Kahiga, the tussle between President Ruto’s loyalists and those of Mr Gachagua will be fierce.
"We want to caution those people from this region that the president had given jobs to know that we will not entertain the culture of the president first insulting us through impeachment and then rewarding us using positions," Mr Kahiga said.
Another risky point in the region is where President Ruto's allies will be fighting off the public hostilities being accorded them.
Already, in such a countermove, Mr Gachagua was attacked in Limuru constituency in November as he attended the burial ceremony of Mr Erastus Nduati and also recently at Shamata grounds in Nyandarua county.
In the attacks that Mr Gachagua blamed on government, he escaped death by a whisker leaving his car extensively damaged.
Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri has provided a cryptic hint on how it might play out as President Ruto loyalists seek their rightful place of working and campaigning in the region.
He says the attack was as a result of Mr Gachagua not respecting his profiled opponents whom the former Deputy President dismisses him as traitors and sell-outs.
"Regardless of the unpopularity of any politician as is being peddled by Gachagua and his allies, he should appreciate the fact there are diehards who will never desert. You in your perceived popularity might be having 10,000 supporters but only 200 diehards are enough to disrupt your meeting," Mr Kiunjuri said.
"We must respect each other's space in Mt Kenya. If you don't want your meeting to be dispersed, don't disperse mine. Ruto loyalists have a right to campaign." he added.
Mr Kiunjuri said there is no way the region will be left to wallow in negative emotions that are not helpful "and the elected leaders who are supposed to address the concerns are not getting an opportunity to implement solutions through facilitating service delivery in the grassroots."
Although Mr Gachagua's impeachment risks having him barred from contesting public office for two decades, his supporters are optimistic that the courts where he has litigated the ouster will quash it.
If the quashing does not materialise, his advisors say he will play the kingmaker where he will preside over sealing of a 2027 alliance deal.
Another tricky happening in Mt Kenya in 2025 and beyond is how the region will relate with the President Ruto government regarding development.
Mbeere North MP Mr Geoffrey Ruku has since declared that the region should support president Ruto's government or else risk mega projects being diverted to other friendly regions.
The sentiments have been shared too by Embu governor Cecily Mbarire who also is the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party chair.
"We will not accept to be invited into the bad manners of heckling the head of state who in his powers lies development. It is a shame that those who are inciting our people to heckle the president comes from developed counties," she said.
However, Kikuyu Council of elders Chairman Mr Wachira Kiago warned: "President Ruto was never elected so that he can be praised and worshiped to develop any region."
He said it is the right of every citizen to be handed unconditional governance benefits “so we should be spared talks about forming factional caucuses for the purpose of begging the president to develop our region".
"Voting is the first expression of loyalty to a manifesto. After voting and winning, the duty of a government becomes that of governance. Telling people to be loyal to you, worship you and pamper you in exchange of development is political blackmail," he added.
"This whole hullabaloo must not attempt to make us forget that we must remain united to a man as a region, must get our rightful share of development and must be left to wilfully choose our 2027 friends without being made to look as if we are vulnerable," he said.
Mr Kiago further said the region should renew its demand for “one man, one shilling, one vote” formula as guarantee for unconditional entitlement to development.
