Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The DP appears to be making desperate attempts to reconcile with the former President, once his sworn enemy, in bid to rally Mt Kenya region to speak in one voice, a move that threatens to escalate the fallout in ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance.
In a surprise move, Mr Gachagua on Friday claimed that Mt Kenya region was misled into vilifying Mr Kenyatta in the run-up to the 2022 General Election.
The populous overwhelmingly voted for President Ruto in what was seen as a protest vote against Mr Kenyatta for his policies that were blamed for “affecting the region’s businesses” as well as his newfound camaraderie with his political nemesis, opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Behind the scenes, there are efforts by elders, the clergy, the business community, professionals and seasoned politicians to unite Mt Kenya region in a push that could jolt President Ruto’s influence in the area.
Dr Ruto won hearts in the mountain in the build up to the last elections when he made numerous visits peppered with Church fundraisers, a thing that endeared him to locals.
‘Respect the king’
“Come rain come sunshine, we will never again vilify our king. We came here and vilified Uhuru Kenyatta. I repented after that. Did I not repent? Did you forgive me? We will never again vilify the king of the Kikuyu community.
Let us teach our youth never again to be used by anyone to vilify our king. Let us love each other, so that we get our rightful share of the Kenyan cake," Mr Gachagua told a rally at Kimende, Kiambu County on his way back from an engagement in Kinangop Constituency in the neighbouring Nyandarua County.
The DP has also publicly apologised to Mr Kenyatta’s mother, former First Lady Mama Ngina. Judging by the DP’s moves, it appears that the Kenyatta family’s influence in Mt Kenya politics cannot be wished away.
Mr Gachagua has also accused allies of Dr Ruto of deliberately scheming to divide Mt Kenya by propping up certain leaders while undermining him.
Mr Gachagua’s spirited effort to reach out to Mr Kenyatta seems to fuelled by the recent Limuru III summit which named the former President as the leader of the newly formed Haki Coalition.
The coalition brings together 31 political parties from Mt Kenya. In his larger scheme, it seems as though Mr Gachagua is seeking to unite with Mr Kenyatta so as to rally the region behind him before the 2027 polls. In the 2022, Dr Ruto beat Mr Odinga of the Azimio la Umoja Coalition largely by the support of his Rift Valley backyard and Mt Kenya. Losing this region’s votes i would present a serious threat to President Ruto’s re-election bid.
“Some few politicians who are around the President want to meddle with Mt Kenya politics to fight me. Mt Kenya politics are so complicated, and what we hate is betrayal. As Mt Kenya, we have never interfered with Rift Valley politics and we deserve respect,” the DP said last weekend in Uasin Gishu County.
Sidelining Gachagua
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, who has turned into one of Mr Gachagua’s closest allies and defender, recently warned that President Ruto risks losing the support of the region should he sideline the DP.
“If he does sideline him, he owes the mountain a solid explanation otherwise he risks losing the support he enjoys,” said Mr Kahiga. “The feeble attempts to fight the DP will ultimately bring the mountain together and keep it solidly behind him. Betrayal is sacrilegious for the people of Mt Kenya region,” he warned.
NARC Kenya leader Martha Karua (centre) leads a Kikuyu dance with other Mt. Kenya leaders during the Limuru 3 meeting at the Jumuia Conference Centre in Kiambu on May 17, 2024.
Kikuyu Council of Elders’ patron Mr Kung’u Muigai said there appears to be three centres of power contesting for supremacy in Mt Kenya. He said that the first centre rotates around Mr Gachagua, the second around Mr Kenyatta and the third one that believes that it should deal directly with President Ruto. “It is unfair to demand that Mr Gachagua reconciles with Mr Kenyatta.
There is no way we can force it to happen since it is supposed to be consensual. We as elders have noted that it is Mr Kenyatta who is not interested in reconciling with Mr Gachagua,” Mr Muigai said.
He added that the DP, who now holds the most senior political position in the region, has on many occasions—both publicly and privately—reached out to Mr Kenyatta who has not reciprocated the gesture.
“As such, we are going to intervene and make it clear that the power belongs to the people of Mt Kenya region, and elders are mandated to intervene to settle disputes between factions,” Mr Muigai said.
Former President Uhuru Kenyatta's cousin Kung'u Muigai.
“We are going to make it public that Mr Gachagua is the region’s general who is supposed to deal with political wars as a leader, while Mr Kenyatta is supposed to play the role of the region’s king, restricted only to giving counsel but not mandated to engage in factional political squabbles,” he added.
The council’s chairman, Wachira Kiago, said there must be oneness “where our collective goal should be to see quality of life for residents improve positively”. Mr Kiago said the choice to belong to a political formation is an individual preference. He said people should avoid defaming slandering, undermining and ridiculing those not in your wing.
He said that elders have listened to some grievances being raised by those who are not satisfied with Mr Gachagua as their team leader, citing threats, feeling demeaned and rubbished. Mr Kiago said the elders will sit down with Mr Gachagua and urge him to unite with his juniors so as to work cohesively. “Likewise, we will speak to those others who believe that Mr Kenyatta is still their team leader and demand that they tone down on public rhetoric and bad manners while addressing their competitors,” he said.
“We have talked to Mr Kenyatta and he has assured us that he harbours no ill will against anyone in the world, let alone in the country or in Mt Kenya region. That all he desires is common decency, respect and sensitivity while engaging him and his loyalists,” Mr Kiago said.
Elders dismissed
“Of course, we will ignore the fact that Gachagua has since dismissed the elders as unfit and unreliable.
We will treat that statement as if he said it in the heat of the moment. One made when he had not toned down on his tough talk,” he added. On March 25, while live on Kameme TV Mr Gachagua dismissed elders.
He said: “They are too divided, sectarian and compromised and who cannot even be trusted to supervise the brewing of the traditional drink muratina since they will not be patient to wait for it to ferment for the required seven days…they would add even mortuary chemicals for it to get ready fast so that they can start drinking”.
Former provincial administrator Joseph Kaguthi, who is a member of the elders’ council, said efforts to merge various groups in pursuit of Mt Kenya peace into one broad-based entity are at an advanced stage.
“We want elders, the clergy, professionals, the business community, elected and non-elected leaders of both gender as well as youthful groups to come up with a panel that will discreetly speak to all formations in the mountain and urged them to have some decorum while engaging each other,” he said.
“It is impossible to whip all politicians in the mountain into one wing…it has never been the case and we should not kill democracy in the name of uniting our people,” he added.
DP’s seniority
He said Mt Kenya region has never gone to any national vote while 100 percent united.
“It is not something we should demand…rather, we should be bound by that desire to make our identity respected that even when we differ on ideologies, we can unite in leading our people to a common goal of reaping benefits that seek to make them live in peace, pursue prosperity and multiply for posterity,” Mr Kaguthi said.
Former Laikipia Woman Representative Cate Waruguru said that efforts to reconcile the Mt Kenya region factions must not be based on “making the rightful owners of power submit to losers”.
“There is no way you can come to Mt Kenya to tell the Gachagua people to submit to those who lost power and favour in the 2022 elections and expect our cooperation…the bottom line is that all people in Mt Kenya region must first acknowledge the Deputy President’s position and then we can talk,” she said.
“Those petty bloggers that have been unleashed on us, some working from State House must be told that Mr Gachagua is not their equal and it takes huge risks and hard work to rise to his current position,” she added.
