Deputy President Kithure Kindiki’s influence in Mt Kenya faces a litmus test as President William Ruto tours his Mount Kenya backyard that has increasingly turned hostile against the government.
President Ruto will tour the region for a week from Tuesday — in a bid to calm down the region whose vote propelled him to power — but which has turned antagonistic following the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua as deputy president.
Prof Kindiki was tapped to replace Gachagua, a move that appears to have done little to pacify the region.
The President’s reception in the hostile region is likely to reflect on Kindiki’s political clout and whether retaining him as Ruto’s Number Two would be politically tactical.
The Kindiki-Gachagua rivalry, however, dates back to the pre-2022 election period as Ruto picked his running mate. Although Kindiki was reportedly more popular among the Mt Kenya leaders, Ruto opted for Gachagua.
Kindiki on Thursday visited Murang’a accompanied by Jubilee nominated MP Sabina Chege, Senator Veronica Maina and Woman Rep Betty Maina, among other leaders, to prepare the ground ahead of the visit.
In a cautious tone, the DP asked residents to welcome the President, adding that he won’t be visiting for politics but development.
“He is coming to open completed markets, to launch electricity installation, roads, water and irrigation projects. The President has sent me with the leaders to ensure government projects are fast-tracked and completed so that residents can start deriving benefits from them,” Kindiki said.
In a jibe targeted at Gachagua, Kindiki said the region must not allow “selfish and parochial” interests to isolate Mt. Kenya region from other regions.
“We have agreed that we put aside the differences we have as a community/ region for now and unite as one and join others in national unity”.
Kindiki was returning to the region after another tour of the mountain in February, when he toured Nyeri and Embu counties and commissioned projects.
The DP also pledged projects worth Sh17 billion in road infrastructure and Sh8.7 billion for last-mile electricity connections in the Mt Kenya region.
In March, Kindiki hosted MPs drawn from Central counties “for a consultative meeting”.
The meeting, which was viewed as part of the preparations for the President’s visit, took stock of government projects and the implementation of programmes.
This included completion of stalled roads, key among them Mau Mau roads and the Kenol-Marwa Highway, dams and markets.
As Kindiki was making attempts to pacify the region, Gachagua allies were making demands to the President, asking him to honour the promises he made to the region.
Kirinyaga Senator Kamau Murango on Thursday challenged Ruto to visit with a solution to their pledged roads in the rice farming area. He added that the President should set aside funds for Kenya Climate Smart Agricultural Projects for rice farmers in the area as he did for those in Kisumu.
Kirinyaga Woman Rep Njeri Maina said the President visited the area on August 5, 2023 and announced he had set aside Sh500 million to ensure water access for the people of Kagio, a promise yet to be delivered.
She added that Ruto’s promise to ensure roads in Mwea are built is yet to be met.
Asked whether the President’s visit will reflect Kindiki’s popularity, Gatanga MP Edward Muriu said the DP is not in any popularity contest as he is a nominee of the President.
“How can someone be popular and he is just a nominee who can be fired today or tomorrow? He is just a presidential nominee, he did not ask for the people’s mandate,” he said.
Prof Peter Kagwanja shares Muriu’s remarks, saying he doesn’t think the visit offers an opportunity for Kindiki to demonstrate his popularity as he has already been undermined in government, especially after the welcoming of Raila Odinga into government.
“Kindiki is now playing second fiddle to Raila and Mudavadi. If the President wants to position Kindiki as an influential leader, then he has to allow him to occupy the space he has fully,” Kagwanja told the Star.
He, however, noted that the President will fight to win back the regional support by himself, as he knows the vote he got and that of Raila will have a huge impact in the direction the election will take ion 2027.
“Unfortunately, he is his worst enemy in the region as he scuttled the support he got without coercion, cheating or intimidation at the altar of what I would call self-aggrandizement,” he said.
He added that Mt Kenya residents should welcome the President as this is the governing but not a politicking period.
“I am telling the people of Mt Kenya that we must be wiser than we are pretending to be. Allow the President to come debate what he has been able to do. How can we progress without having this debate?” he posed.
University don Dr Charles Ng’ang’a said the impeachment of Gachagua in October was a major political turning point and that despite the removal, he remains politically active.
“His goal is to consolidate his support base and push for a political resurgence ahead of 2027. He is expected to challenge the legitimacy of Kindiki’s leadership in the region,” Dr Ng’ang’a says.
“The battle between Gachagua and Kindiki will determine the region’s direction heading into 2027. Ruto’s preference for Kindiki suggests that Gachagua faces an uphill battle. However, grassroots support and historical political loyalties could still shape the final outcome,” the don said.
Murang’a Woman Rep Maina on Thursday urged the youth to reject any attempts to use them to disrupt the President’s visit. She said the President will bring with him development goodies, and therefore should be warmly received.
Ruto on Wednesday fired Public Service Minister JB Muturi and replaced him with Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku, who is from the former Speaker’s backyard and party. With it, the President triggered a by-election, which will be another litmus test.
Earlier in the changes in government, Ruto avoided firing any PS from Mt Kenya as widely anticipated and instead added more dockets, a move seen as avoiding to further antagonize the region.
