By Anderson Ojwang
For the last six decades, Mt Kenya has passed over from one generation the politics of the oath of Kihi (Uncircumcised) from assuming Kenya’s presidency to deny the lake the most coveted house on the hill.
From the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga to his son, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the Luo have fallen to the sword of the Kihi mantra and have performed dismally in the region.
In the 1992 first multi-party elections, Mt Kenya rallied behind their son the late Kenneth Matiba after the split of the Original Ford that was founded by Oginga with other leading Kenya’s opposition politicians.
Oginga had his Ford-K vice chairman Paul Miute as his running mate and he performed dismally at the presidential ballot while Muite was elected Kabete member of parliament.
Similarly, in the 2022 Presidential elections and with the support of the then President Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila still failed to climb the mountain despite having the iron lady Martha Karua as the running, he was vanquished at the ballot box by President William Ruto.
In a run-up to the last general election, the debate about circumcision created a political storm with then Gatundu MP Moses Kuria evoking the infamous Ichaweri oath.
In a hard-hitting post on Facebook on Friday, March 18, the Chama cha Kazi (CCK) leader claimed over 300,000 Kikuyus took an oath in 1969 never to elect an uncircumcised leader as president.
“In 1969 when you are under siege you rally 300,000 Kikuyus to take an oath at a fee-binding them never to elect an uncircumcised person. 50 years later without calling for another oath to undo the first one, you unilaterally make an about-turn and expect the whole community to follow you,” he said in an indirect attack on President Uhuru Kenyatta who has settled on Raila as his preferred successor.
He claimed Kikuyus, led by Kenya’s founding father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, took an oath in 1969 never to elect an ‘uncircumcised’ leader as president.
President Uhuru Kenyatta had endorsed Raila as his preferred successor ahead of the August 9 General Election Read Kuria criticized Uhuru for going against an alleged 1969 oath that bars the Mt Kenya community from electing a leader who comes from a community that doesn’t practice circumcision.
“Uhuru is going against his father’s wish by supporting Raila Odinga and he knows what Kenyatta said. We even took an oath never to support Raila for the presidency and that is why we are backing Ruto,” Kuria said.
Raila condemned communities that elevate circumcision to a life-and-death issue and highlighted the unfortunate belief in some communities that one cannot be a leader if they have not undergone circumcision.
“That person is not only abusing me and the people of the Luo community but all the other communities that do not practice circumcision. They are simply telling you that you and your
children are incapable of leading,” he said.
And now that Raila has exited the local political scene for an international platform, where he is currently campaigning to be elected Africa Union (AU) chairperson, President Ruto is currently, the new object of attack in the Mountain.
Currently, the mountain that supported Ruto in the last election is restive and are fast sliding away from his reach and he is finding soft landing in the lake.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is weaponizing the pombe (alcohol) debate in the Mt.Kenya region to rally the community against President Ruto’s administration.
The emotive pombe debate in Mt Kenya region has elicited various reactions with women and various leaders in the past holding demonstrations over the effect of alcohol in the region.
Even a section of Mt Kenya governors had revoked licenses to various dealers in alcohol and even banned selling of the alcoholic beverage drinks in their respective counties.
Currently, Rigathi has taken the pombe battle to the doorstep of his former boss, President Ruto and Internal Security permanent secretary Dr Raymond Omolo.
“When I was deputy president, I declared war on alcohol and drug abuse. We succeeded in reducing the effects of alcohol and drugs on our people.
Then I had a problem with our president over the alcohol and drug menace in the country. We had 56 companies that were manufacturing illicit alcohol that is dangerous for human consumption.
I closed the companies and we only left two with the committee that I headed. After closing the factories and working with the chiefs and the police.
The alcohol menace dropped. The boys started returning home and they even became clean and we started seeing our daughter pregnant once again and we started having children.
This was a good sign in Mt.Kenya Nakuru, Laikipia and Nyandarua where alcohol had a negative impact on our people.
The Permanent secretary for internal security was told by the president to reopen the factories. The factories after re-opening were advised not to take the products anywhere else but should be sold in Mt Kenya.
That was the genesis of my problem with the President. When we were in Nyandarua, I told him it was not good to reopen the factories.
The companies are operational but the alcohol is not sold in Rift Valley or anywhere else but purely in Mt Kenya,” he said during a recent church service.
But Omolo responded by condemning the remarks made by Rigathi, describing them as politically motivated, reckless, and insensitive.
Omollo criticized the claims, calling them baseless and lacking empathy for families affected by substance abuse.
“The State Department of Internal Security and Administration strongly condemns the reckless statements made by the impeached former Deputy President, Mr. Rigathi Gachagua, during a church service. His accusations against the government of deliberately targeting citizens in Mt. Kenya with illicit and counterfeit alcohol are unfounded and insensitive,” Omollo said.
