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President William Ruto and the politics of Mount Kenya region.
President William Ruto has launched an aggressive fightback to reclaim the Mt Kenya political base and stem rebellion, seeking to wrest it from the grip of his former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua.
Besides campaigning for 2027, the President, who recently visited Nyeri, Meru and Laikipia counties in a week, understands the region is not enthusiastic about his re-election.
President Ruto, who has camped in the region, has declared, “You people of the mountain made me President, and I have no intention of forsaking you.”
Mr Gachagua's impeachment remains a central point of contention between President Ruto and the Mt Kenya electorate.
However, these renewed efforts to win Mt Kenya for his 2027 re-election bid face at least 10 political hurdles that could make or break his campaign.
A region that supported his 2022 bid almost went into rebellion mode when he sanctioned the impeachment of Mr Gachagua as his deputy in October 2024. Since then, the President has had to mount a fresh bid to win back votes in the area.
He has repeatedly urged the region to pursue national unity, shun ethnic politics, and judge his administration based on performance rather than rhetoric.
President William Ruto with UDA chairperson Governor Cecily Mbarire (left) and Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga when the Head of State hosted UDA grassroots leaders from Nyeri County at Sagana State Lodge, in Nyeri on January 17, 2026.
Political pundits warn that the battle lines are clearly drawn, and it is understood where President Ruto stands versus the Mt Kenya voters. The President has been accused of aggravating the Gachagua impeachment by making statements interpreted as viewing the opposition as ethnically motivated.
Another challenge for the President is his claim that Mr Gachagua did not help him win Mt Kenya in 2022.
“I was introduced into this region by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and I cemented trust and friendship with the people, leading to my 2022 success,” Dr Ruto said near Mr Gachagua’s Mathira home on January 13, 2026.
Instead of dwelling on political rivalry with Mr Gachagua, advisers suggest the President’s focus on delivering legacy projects that add value to the region’s primary agenda: wealth creation.
“Nothing bonds Mt Kenya other than wealth creation. If President Ruto manages a sustainable framework to rejuvenate local business, we will follow him directly through the 2027 ballot boxes and back into office,” says Rwathia Distributors Company Limited director Kanene Kabiru.
President Ruto has also been criticised for aligning with disrespectful politicians in the Mt Kenya region. Career administrator Joseph Kaguthi, who has served in all post-independence governments, said, “In politics, a bad mouth is injurious in any contest.”
He cited six such figures in Kiambu County, one in Murang’a, two in Nyeri, two in Kirinyaga, and two in Embu County, whom the President appears to rely on but who are ‘undermining’ his acceptance in the region.
President William Ruto hosts UDA grassroots leaders from Nyeri County at the Sagana State Lodge in Nyeri County.
“We have expressly told Dr Ruto’s allies to stop treating our region as a zone for short-term tokenism and instead focus on legacy projects that will make people self-sufficient. That is not what has built Mt Kenya this far,” he said.
Among the meaningful supporters, Mr Kaguthi singled out Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri, who has been active in coordinating stakeholders to consider extending President Ruto’s leadership.
“We have been meeting as elders and giving feedback about preserving our voting bloc. We have an issue with too many people saying the wrong things and presenting themselves as representatives of President Ruto. We are working on a plan to stop that,” Mr Kiunjuri admitted.
Another factor undermining President Ruto is the rise of political hooliganism and violence against dissenters.
“Someone must tell President Ruto that when goons, allegedly accompanied by armed police officers, attack leaders and supporters, it creates an acceptance crisis. People are now questioning whether they will be forced to vote for the incumbent,” said Mt Kenya political analyst Samuel Wang’ombe.
He added: “Whipping Mt Kenya into submission using violence will backfire because the spirit of resistance, resilience, and focus in the region is deeply embedded in its freedom struggle, where tears, sweat, and blood were normalised as means to an end.”
Political analyst Malila Munywoki noted that President Ruto’s camp in Mt Kenya lacks a clear mobilisation centre.
President William Ruto takes selfies with UDA grassroots leaders from Nyeri County at Sagana State Lodge, in Nyeri on January 17, 2026.
“We are seeing too many competing centres that forget their core mission: selling Ruto’s re-election bid. Instead, they are fighting among themselves,” he said.
He cited conflicts involving Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru and Ndia MP George Kariuki, as well as Maragua MP Mary wa Maua, Murang’a Woman Rep Betty Maina, and Lands CS Alice Wahome in Murang’a County.
“We also have Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika and Senator Tabitha Karanja, and others actively fighting Deputy President Kithure Kindiki. In short, Ruto’s Mt Kenya loyalists are a political Tower of Babel,” he said.
Nyeri Woman Rep Rahab Mukami said, “Another vote-repelling tactic is attacking Mr Kenyatta and Mr Gachagua. Insulting them—or any other leader—does not pacify Mt Kenya; it makes the terrain even harder to navigate.”
“Let us abandon the politics of insults and engage people with civility. We stand to win hearts through persuasion,” she said.
Another challenge for President Ruto is convincing Mt Kenya that he has the region in mind ahead of the 2032 succession.
President William Ruto interacts with members of the public after inspecting the ongoing construction of the 84km Kenol-Sagana-Marua road at the Marua Interchange in Nyeri County on January 12, 2026.
“What is there for us if we support Ruto’s re-election in 2027? Is he positioning one of us to succeed him strategically? Are we even sure he will retain Prof Kindiki as his running mate? We cannot just support him for the sake of it,” said Manyatta MP Gitonga Mukunji.
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro declared, “Impeaching Mr Gachagua was an act of political illiteracy that I had personally advised against, but they ignored me. We are in this dilemma because of that uninformed decision.”
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