Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku has advocated for political alliances in the Mt Kenya region, with the east supporting Justin Muturi and Kithure Kindiki and the west backing Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
Speaking at a church service in Mung’au, Embu County, the lawmaker stated that the region’s political allegiance should be separated from the larger Mt Kenya region.
The Mbeere North legislature claims equal representation and has influential leaders in government.
“I think it is high time we divide the mountain so that we can have a Mt Kenya East and West. This daily politics of winning that Mt Kenya is this and that, we are tired of it,’’ he told the congregation.
Ruku, as a result, urged its leaders and citizens to band together and negotiate for development issues independently, led by their Cabinet Secretaries in government.
Ruku argued that the move will reward Mt Kenya East leaders who respect their constituents.
This has largely been interpreted as an indirect attack on Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Laikipia East Member of Parliament Mwangi Kiunjiri, who have been fighting over who calls the shots in the region.
The lawmaker also stated that the decision was influenced by frequent political threats from their counterparts on the Western side of the mountain, who he claims are embroiled in a never-ending political battle over who is the leader of Mount Kenya.
Ruku went on to say that as an Eastern region, they will shape their future political discourse under the leadership of Justin Muturi and Kithure Kindiki.
“Mt Kenya East, where I am currently standing, we have our leaders. We have Justin Bedan Njoka Muturi and Professor Kithure Kindiki, those are our leaders,” Ruku added.
His remarks come amid rising political tensions in the region over who is the region’s kingpin as the country prepares for the 2027 elections.
Recently, there have been growing factions, with one wing supporting Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as Mt Kenya’s leader.
However, former Laikipia North Member of Parliament Mwangi Kiunjiri (a supporter of President William Ruto) claims that the DP is unfit to lead the region.
Kiunjuri recently claimed that the DP is on a mission to divide the mountain from the rest of the country as political preparations for the 2027 General Election ramp up.
Speaking during a meeting at the Queen’s Garden Hotel in Eldoret, Kiunjuri claimed that Gachagua’s recent efforts to consolidate support within Mt Kenya are part of the broader scheme.
He claimed that the DP was plotting to split the government and undermine President William Ruto’s influence in the vote-rich region.
“We will oppose attempts by the deputy president to isolate the region as he is doing so for selfish political gains,” Kiunjuri noted.
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