By Anderson Ojwang
No longer at ease in Mt Kenya as the once calm and receptive Mountain is currently undergoing political poisoning which may just soon explode into a full-blown battle.
The poisoning runs deep, not only from the rejection of President William Ruto and his allies but also from other political players being coerced to either join the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) or perish altogether.
The poisoning is not only confined to politics alone but also to the church and development, with the DCP leader and former Deputy President declaring a veto on several issues.
Mt Kenya split
The politics of Mt Kenya could be turning explosive, with the East threatening to go their way from the usual voting pattern of voting as a bloc.
Gachagua on Monday told DCP members that the region was now locked and left it under the leadership of the acting Secretary General, Senator John Methu, and other leaders from the region as he focuses on other regions.
“Now you can release me. When I come back from my visit from the USA, I will come and go straight to the Coast. I will concentrate on the region. You people can take care of the mountain. It is now locked,” he said.
But the poisoned mountain is about to explode, with leaders from Mt Kenya East led by Cabinet Secretary for Public Services Geoffrey Ruku saying it was time Mt Kenya East went separate from the West.
“We have refused to be trailers of the Kikuyu, and we are saying this without any fear of contradiction. Mt Kenya East, we have refused to be trailers of those who think Kenya is their property and they come from Mt Kenya West. If you want to be in the opposition from 2027 to 2032, that is okay,” he said.
Ruku said they have embarked on the deflation of Gachagua in Mt Kenya East and they will not be used again by Mt Kenya West.
“We are saying, as Mt Kenya East, we will deflate Gachagua in Mt Kenya East. I appeal to President Ruto’s allies in Mt Kenya West, fight on and do not give Gachagua a chance. If you are defeated, we in the East will deflate him. Mt Kenya West has benefitted from the government, and we, the people of the East, have got the least share. Mt Kenya East, we will remain in the government,” he said.
One basket: It’s DCP
Gachagua has declared that DCP is the only party for Mt Kenya and those in the party are championing the interests of Ruto.
“The party is DCP. You have results. We had nine parties at the Ol Kalou by-election. If you want to confuse yourself, that is your problem,” he said.
He said the DCP party leader was committed to protecting the interests of the community and was prepared to protect them.
“This is a party where the party leader is a serious mobiliser and ready to work,” he said.
Gachagua set a target for the number of elected leaders the party must attain in the 2027 general elections.
“We must get a minimum of 130 MPs in the National Assembly, 720 MCAs, and 20 governors and senators respectively. In Mt Kenya, there are only two sides: you are either with the community or Kasongo, and you cannot be in the middle,” he said.
But Deputy President Kithure Kindiki on Sunday told Gachagua to stop divisive politics in Mt Kenya which could alienate the community.
“I don’t want our community to be divided. We are one people. I don’t want to see our community talking different languages. We are one people,” he said.
Kindiki said the age of Mt Kenya unity should not be taken for granted and must be guarded at all cost.
“Long ago, we were united under one church, ACK, all the way from Kirinyaga to Meru. We were under one diocese, Mt Kenya East, under the leadership of the late Bishop David Gitari. Even in politics, in Mt Kenya we have always been united and we have a long history. So there is nothing that can divide us. Those who think they will divide us should relax,” he said.
Kindiki said as the Deputy President, he will ensure the unity of Mt Kenya and asked Gachagua to stop alienating the community.
“I am the Deputy President, and I will ensure the community walks together. Stop making noise and stop dividing the people. We have not had a presidential election, and that will come next year. I want to assure you that the election will be determined by service delivery and not abuses,” he said.
“Don’t step foot in Ol Kalou”
Gachagua told Murang’a Governor Irungu Kangata not to step foot in Ol Kalou to campaign for the DCP candidate. This could have been informed by Kangata’s decision to join Linda Mwananchi instead of his DCP party.
Kangata held a successful Linda Mwananchi rally in Kiambu, which didn’t go down well with Gachagua and his allies.
Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Jeremiah Kioni said Gachagua was on a mission to lock other parties out of the region.
“I heard someone saying that in this region, we will only have one party. That is a very retrogressive statement. It is not a statement you should make, even if you want to achieve it. It is against the Constitution. If he had said it when I was there, I could have contradicted him,” he said.
Kioni warned that such remarks from Gachagua could have far-reaching consequences on the united opposition and could trigger misunderstandings among members.
Poisoning the church
The Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) is predominant in Mt Kenya. It has over 3,200 congregations and 500 parishes, organised across 61 presbyteries in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. In Kenya alone, the church counts approximately 4 million members and more than 1,000 individual congregations spanning five main administrative regions.
Gachagua accused the Secretary General of plotting with the Majority Leader at the National Assembly, Kimani Ichung’wah, to take members of the parishes to visit President William Ruto at State House over a Sh300 million debt.
“PCEA church ministers have looked for me because I am a member of the PCEA. They have asked me to help them because the Secretary General is working with Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah and trying to force parish ministers to visit President Ruto at State House, but they have declined. The visit is aimed at repaying the Sh300 million debt. Our PCEA church doesn’t want Ruto’s money. Do not be used by Kimani Ichung’wah to coerce ministers to go and meet Ruto and pledge loyalty. We, members of PCEA, are rich and we can raise that money,” he said.
