There has been a lot of movement within the Mt Kenya region in as far as President Uhuru Kenyatta’s succession as the regional kingpin after his presidential term in concerned.
This movement has seen several phases and groups of people emerge to lay claim to its leadership
The emergence of visible cracks within the Jubilee Party became clear around July 2018, soon after March 9 handshake.
Having caught many off guard, what followed was confusion, with one group pulling in the direction of the handshake, while the other stuck to Deputy President’s 2022 presidential ambitions.
President Kenyatta aptly named the Ruto camp Tangatanga, with the latter taking it in stride and running with it.
The other wing that started with the hashtag kitaeleweka, and which I aptly named Kieleweke at the beginning of July 2018 also started to coalesce around Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu. This was arguably the first wave of departure from the centre.
However, there was a serious attempt to re-consolidate the mountain through an initiative under the aegis of Mt Kenya Parliamentary Group then led by Jubilee nominated MPs Cecily Mbarire, Isaac Mwaura (Senate), Gatundu South’s Moses Kuria and Amos Kimunya of Kipipri.
The politburo succeeded momentarily in galvanising the region by convening meetings in Naivasha and Nyeri, with the latter being attended by the President.
Nothing much came out of this initiative other than the President declaring that his 2022 presidential choice would shock many, at a function in Mathira constituency hosted by Rigathi Gachagua, his former personal assistant and now area MP.
Unfortunately, matters came to a head when it was perceived that Uhuru preferred CS Peter Munya to take charge. The follow up meetings at La Mada crumbled.
What followed was what became known as ‘church wars’ between Tangatanga and Kieleweke, with the fiercest battleground being in Murang’a, with the confrontations between MPs Maina Kamanda (nominated) and Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu), Gathoni Wamuchomba (Kiambu) and Alice Wahome in Kandara.
The ground stuck with DP William Ruto and many fence sitters made up their minds on which side to support either out of sheer courage or intimidation by the state.
At some point in 2019, there was momentary unity in demanding for a powerful presidency under the BBI, with the face of this solidarity being then Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri. The die had been cast nevertheless.
Soon after, a serious purge followed in the Cabinet and Parliament, with Kiunjuri being dropped as Cabinet Secretary. In the parliamentary changes, many of Ruto allies were axed, with the greatest beneficiaries being Kieleweke, NASA members and the neutrals.
Senators Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo Marakwet), Kindiki Kithure (Tharaka Nithi) and Susan Kihika (Nakuru), MPs Kuria and Mbarire were sent packing, as ODM celebrated the ‘gains’ of being in government with people like Gladys Wanga chairing the powerful Finance and Trade committee.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge since then and a second purge cost senators Mwaura and Irungu Kang’ata (Murang’a), their seats in Parliament and/or leadership. However, the hemorrhage from Kieleweke to Tangatanga continues, with Wamuchomba and David Gikaria being the latest to shift camp.
This is after Jubilee secretary-general Raphael Tuju and vice-chairman David Murathe finally delivered Jubilee to Nasa, with the former getting a lifeline to revive his political ambitions in Nyanza.
For Murathe, he has openly called for Raila Odinga to be elected president in a ‘Mandela’ moment, clearly advocating the election of another candidate from a different party, ODM.
After the dismal performance in Juja, the Kieleweke 1 team of Kanini Keega, Ngunjiri, Governor James Nyoro, Wamuchomba etc have since been shoved aside in preference for the older and ‘more seasoned’ group of William Kabogo, Lee Kinyanjui, Mwangi wa Iria, Anne Waiguru, Jamleck Kamau and Jude Njomo.
A meeting organised to have them speak in one voice flopped due to simmering presidential ambitions between Kabogo, Wa Iria, Waiguru and the ‘senior’ Munya. This fourth wave of replacement is likely to cost Wamuchomba, Gikaria and others their parliamentary leadership seats.
In the meantime, Mt Kenya East has Speaker Justin Muturi as the de facto leader to the chagrin of other wannabes. In this amorphous formless confusion, the status quo gets maintained either way since the smokescreen and subterfuge occludes any leader from emerging. In short it’s the game plan.
The forces of division are largely external as the community finds itself where the Kalenjin were in 2002-07 after President Daniel Moi’s 24-year reign.
Having had the presidency for a record 20 years, the question is whether any external candidate shall galvanise the whole region behind him, the way the Kalenjin voted to a man for Raila in 2007.
Ruto clearly commands the backyard as of now, with a majority of key leaders from the region supporting him. The mountain has always produced a majority of the presidential candidates since 1992, but majority of which to one of them.
Having a younger population whose first time voters were born in 2004, is this likely to be the case come 2022, especially with external candidates? Is this not the reason behind the intense overdrive to divide the mountain?
