A section of political leaders from Mt Kenya East has sounded the alarm of a growing rift within the once unified Mt Kenya political front, warning that they are ready to chart their different political path if what they described as long-standing marginalization continues.
Addressing worshippers Sunday during a church service at Full Gospel Churches of Kenya in Kangaru, Manyatta constituency, Embu County, Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Geoffrey Ruku said Mt Kenya East could no longer afford to remain politically tethered to agendas that do not serve its people.
Ruku said leaders from the eastern side of the mountain feel their region has lost several times under a broad “Mt. Kenya basket” where local priorities are submerged in wider regional politics.
“Mt Kenya East has for too long been forced into a political pocket that does not reflect our economic and development interests,” Ruku said. “We have to stand firm and defend our own future.”
In a strongly worded address, the Cabinet Secretary urged residents to ignore calls to turn against President William Ruto and his administration, warning of what he described as a coordinated effort to sow division within the region. He fingered the former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of being the man behind attempts to incite Mt Kenya residents against the President.
Ruku accused Gachagua of dragging Mt Kenya East into divisive politics, insisting that the region would not be drawn into what he termed destructive power struggles.
“We cannot afford to be swept away by hate and political games,” he said. “If we have to share the mountain, let it be. Mt Kenya East shall stand alone. The East shall have its title deed.”
The Cabinet Secretary pointed to the Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki as proof that Mt. Kenya East has the leadership capacity to shape its destiny in the country’s capital without influence from outsiders.
He also defended the Kenya Kwanza administration, saying recent government interventions had led to improved coffee and tea prices, translating into better incomes for farmers across the region.
Ruku further said that Gachagua left the government because of incompetence and that the former Deputy President lacks moral authority and political capital to rally communities behind what he described as a personal agenda.
Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire echoed Ruku’s remarks, saying Mt Kenya East would not hesitate to pursue an independent political course if pushed.
“I want to make one thing very clear,” said Mbarire. “If need be, as Mt Kenya East, we shall chart our own political path. We will not be dragged into politics that do not serve our people.”
The remarks expose the deepening political tensions in the Mt Kenya region, as leaders have increasingly begun to question the future of a region that has long been considered the epitome of political unity, and signal a possible realignment ahead of the next political contest.
