By Anderson Ojwang
The once sleepy and unknown village in Nyeri county on the slopes of Mt Kenya has woken from its slumber to become an emerging Centre of Power in Murima.
The Wamunyoro village is rewriting its story as one of the country’s most powerful villages, following the footsteps of other powerful villages in the country that have become synonymous with trapping of power.
Sixty-one years ago, a precedent was set. Just immediately after independence, Kenya witnessed the emergence of dynasties which became identified with the place of birth of the leaders.
The dynasties became synonymous with their villages. The politicians subsequently were identified by the name of their villages, which became the focal and Centre of power.
The village names gained political prominence regionally and nationally and they became a State House unto themselves.
Power and influence rotated and revolved around the village name and because of that, the villages became a point of reference and identification.
They gained the symbolism of power and often references are made to the village name instead of the individual.
At Independence, two villages gained prominence, that is Ichaweri in Gatundu South, the home of the founding father of the Nation, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
Ichaweri is a village in Kiambu county and is off the Thika superhighway, Kenyatta Road connects to Gatundu town passing through Ichaweri village.
The area is sparsely populated, with coffee farms and uncultivated tracts of land dotting the landscape, but as you travel deeper, villages such as Ichaweri appear. This village is 18km from the Thika superhighway, and while it is one of Kenya’s most well-known areas, the fame and fortunes differ sharply.
Ichaweri was a powerhouse for 24 years, but the shopping Centre reeks of neglect. The Kenyatta family’s home is a prominent landmark oozing power and prosperity on one side of the road, but a forlorn shopping Centre with few shops and no restaurant on the other.
Besides holding Cabinet meetings here, Jomo Kenyatta also received dignitaries in his rural home, including former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in 1964.
When Kenyatta died, the village lost its trapping of power and for 24 years of President Daniel Moi’s rule, the name was a shadow.
But with the election, of immediate former President Uhuru Kenyatta, the fortunes of Ichaweri were revived and recently, Uhuru hosted President Ruto at his home. The first dynasty.
From Ichaweri, the home of the first vice President of Kenya the late Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga, Kango ka Jaramogi, also gained prominence and became another dynasty. Kango Ka Jaramogi became, the power base until Oginga died.
After the death of Oginga, a power shift occurred and the Opoda village, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s home, became the Centre of power.
Local, national and international delegations including Foreign President visited Opoda. The name Opoda became a political power reference while Kango ka Jaramogi became a museum.
In Rift Valley, Moi, a dynasty turned Kabarak into a new Centre of power and went further to equip Kabarak to become a Centre of education excellence.
Kabarak, Moi’s home for the 24 years of his rule, was the altar of power in the country and delegations one after another visited the powerhouse.
Moi unlike his other fellow dynasties developed Kabarak and today it boasts Kabarak High School and Moi Kabarak University.
For Kenyatta, Oginga and Raila, the village is a stark reality of affluence and abject poverty.
Ahead of the 2022 general election, a new dynasty emerged in North Rift, Sugoi, home to Kenya’s fifth President William Ruto, became a new Centre of power.
Sugoi became Ruto’s cradle as he pursued his presidential ambition and delegation one after another visited Sugoi. Sugoi also entered into Kenya’s history as a dynasty and it is identified as a power base.
Currently, Kenyans are witnessing the birth of a new dynasty, this time, it is Wamunyoro, a village in Nyeri county. Nyeri was the home of the third President the late Mwai Kibaki.
However, Kibaki’s village of Othaya did not gain more prominence such as Ichaweri, Kango, Kabarak and Opoda because Kibaki identified mostly with the Muthaiga club.
The election and subsequent impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachugua created a new dynasty and gave birth to the emergence of Wamunyoro village as a new power base.
When most people expected Rigathi to slide into political oblivion, he emerged as the Mt Kenya kingpin and new Centre of power in the Murima.
Currently, delegations one after another pay homage to Wamunyoro and his critics and admirers refer to him as Wamunyoro making the village gain prominence.
Rigathi left the comfort of the Deputy President’s official abode in Karen and quickly converted his Wamunyoro home into the new centre of power.
Rigathi meets dignitaries, plans his next move, welcomes defectors, issues directives and sketches out his political roadmap.
In his X handle, previously Twitter, Rigathi posts photos of delegations to Wamunyoro village.
“ This afternoon I received all goodwill delegation from Nakuru county led by Hon Jayne Kihara and including former NHIF CEO, Geoffrey Mwangi as well as Mr. Peter Mwangi Munyoroku. We discussed what ordinary Kenyans in the country grassroots feel about the national and regional issues going on. How can we be of value in these ongoing conversations?
They also gave me their views on what they expect will be implemented from the consultations that have been going on. The consultation continue” he wrote.
In another post he wrote “ This morning, I met the delegation from Kirinyaga county led by senator James Murango and Hon Njeri Maina, women Representative Kirinyaga County.
Also present were MCAs and we discussed the local sentiment across Kirinyaga county and the expectations people there have on the current happenings.”
In another tweet he wrote” This morning, at our Wamunyoro residence, I had the privilege of having a candid discussion about the current state of our nation’s politics with a delegation of lawyers from Law Society of Kenya led by Wakili Steve Mbugua.
They brought with them a broad range of perspectives, from constitutional law to human rights and how collectively we can uphold and promote the fundamental rights and freedom of all people.”
Currently, Wamunyoro is a beehive of activities with delegations one after another, ranging from the church, professionals and politicians visiting Wamunyoro, the new power base in Mt Kenya.
