By Anderson Ojwang
The reconciliation tone in Mt Kenya politics has gone a notch higher after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua welcomed his successor Kithure Kindiki’s overtures.
“I have seen the Deputy President, while in Embu, saying he has no problem with Riggy, my brother, and the Mt Kenya community. This is welcome. We thank you for saying you don’t have a problem with us,” he said.
Gachagua said they too have no problem with the Deputy President, both at the community and individual levels.
Kindiki recently adopted a reconciliation tone within the Mt Kenya political matrix.
“I don’t have any battle with my fellow leaders. I have no problems with my brothers, who are leaders. I am an elder from this region. I am a leader. There is today and tomorrow. After leading, we will remain here as one community. Is it not true? Because of that, I have no problem with any leader, even those who abuse me,” he said.
Kindiki said he has unconditionally forgiven those from his region who have been abusing him and that the unity of the community is paramount.
“I have forgiven them. I have unconditionally forgiven them because I do not want to be in any war with my brothers. I am a pure Meru,” he said.
He said, as an elder and member of Njuri Ncheke, it is incumbent upon him to foster peace and unity for the benefit of the community.
“As an elder of Njuri Ncheke, I know we must create peace and unity because after politics, we will remain as a community,” he said.
During the Mbeere North by-election, it was a bare-knuckle contest between Kindiki and Gachagua, with the former taunting the latter as a “small man” and saying he did not see him when he fought for former President Uhuru Kenyatta and President William Ruto at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
“When Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto had problems in The Hague, I was their lawyer. I did not see him there. We fought against the white man called Ocampo (the ICC prosecutor during the trials) and defeated him. We brought back Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto. So who is this other one speaking? He is a small man. It is only that he has inflated his muscles and is troubleshooting,” he said.
Kindiki dismissed Gachagua’s claims that he was the kingpin of the region, saying he is the senior-most political leader in Mt Kenya.
“Hi tabia ya kujitangaza wewe mwenyewe eti mimi ndio mkubwa wa hii mlima. Nani alikuchagua mkubwa wa mlima? (This tendency of self-declaration that you are the king of the mountain—who elected you?) I am the senior-most political leader in the Mt Kenya region, for the avoidance of doubt.”
Gachagua did not take the challenge lying down and escalated the rhetoric by inviting President Ruto to face him directly.
“You, Kasongo, come. I am here with the people of Mbeere—we will show you dust. Don’t send a government employee. You, Kasongo, come yourself,” Gachagua said.
The differences between Gachagua and Kindiki began with the choice of President Ruto’s running mate. Ruto, then Deputy President and UDA presidential candidate in the 2022 election, had invited both Gachagua and Kindiki to a contest for the position.
The process resulted in a stalemate that lasted over 17 hours and was characterized by failed consensus-building, despite opinion polls favoring Kindiki.
Ruto and his team eventually resorted to internal opinion polls to break the deadlock. The first poll, conducted by a strategy and research team headed by Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, involved 10,000 respondents from 10 Mt Kenya counties. In that poll, Kindiki outperformed Gachagua, with Governor Anne Waiguru coming third.
In the second nationwide survey, involving 25,000 respondents across 47 counties, Kindiki again emerged top, with Waiguru and Gachagua placing second and third respectively.
The final vote involved Central Kenya UDA MPs, where Kindiki once again led.
Out of the 31 Mt Kenya UDA MPs present, 22 voted in favor of Kindiki, five voted for Gachagua, two backed Waiguru, while Justin Muturi received one vote, with one rejected vote.
However, Ruto awarded the position to Gachagua, who was later impeached by Parliament and the Senate and replaced by Kindiki.
Currently, the scramble for the Deputy President slot in the pre-election coalition arrangement between United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) could be leading to a shift in political tone.
Gachagua recently closed ranks with Uhuru Kenyatta and dismissed allegations that they cannot work together, terming them wishful thinking.
“They say Uhuru cannot work with Riggy. You think you are one of us? You don’t know us. We are a family, and Uhuru is my elder brother,” he said.
Gachagua said he diligently served Uhuru as a personal assistant and holds him in high regard.
“I have been Uhuru’s personal assistant. I have worked with him for 20 years. We only differed for three years,” he said.
Gachagua said it was President Ruto who sowed division between him and Uhuru, but they have since reconciled and remained united.
“It is you who divided us. You came with the Bible and conned us. I blame myself. I misled my people. I want to tell our people that we must be very smart not to allow Ruto to divide us along Mt Kenya East and West. I cannot allow it. Kikuyu and Meru are one community,” he said.
