President William Ruto left guests in stitches after he said the contest for regional kingpins stands suspended following the arrival of King Charles III in Kenya.
Addressing dignitaries who had attended the State banquet at State House, Ruto said:
“Your majesty, in this country, we have kingpins in different regions, and for that reason, I want to say that the contest is suspended because the real king is in the country,” he said.
President Ruto and first lady Mama Rachel Rutol are hosting King Charles III and Queen Camila at State House Nairobi where a State banquet has been staged in their honour.
The two high-profile leaders arrived in the country on Monday night for a four-day state visit beginning Tuesday.
The banquet was attended by several senior government leaders and the opposition chief Raila Odinga.
The comment by Ruto, on regional leadership, came in the wake of several battles in the country involving political leaders who are wrestling to be the regional kingpins.
In Mt Kenya, for instance, speculations are rife that DP Rigathi Gachagua is positioning himself as the kingpin of the region.
This comes even as other political leaders continue to position themselves for the role with Former President Uhuru Kenyatta who is yet to hand over the mantle keeping mum on the matter.
Recently, an Azimio leader Maina Njenga announced that the Mt Kenya region will be holding a mega rally in December for retired President Uhuru Kenyatta to hand over the mantle of leadership to the new kingpin.
"We are going to invite everybody, regardless of their political affiliation, the event will be a major one for our region, and it is our time to stand together," he said. Njega.
However, did not disclose who Uhuru will hand over to.
"We have heard Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua talk about the unity of Mt Kenya. We saw a section of people converging in hotels, we want to meet people in public, in broad daylight, and we want to see everyone represented," he said.
According to Njenga, the event will be held in Nyeri County and will be graced by Former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"We want everybody to come, as long as they are from the mountain."
