- National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wa, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro and other leaders have stopped their direct attacks at the DP
- However, the latest division and apparent quiet defiance have now put a dent in his ability to inherit Uhuru’s political influence in the region
Image: DPCS
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua faces a herculean task in consolidating his Mt Kenya backyard as silent rebellion grows against his bid to lead the region.
Despite the public political combat going low-key in recent days, Mt Kenya leaders insist they will not accept to be led by Gachagua.
The latest political war has been sparked by the DP’s ultimatum to his critics to shape up or prepare for a political tsunami in the 2027 polls.
Last week, he warned rebels that they have until December to change or be kicked out by voters.
“By this year December, the decision would have been made on who will be coming back and who is going home,” Gachagua said.
“After December, you cannot change anything. For those who have lost track, you have until December to get back on track,” he added.
Mt Kenya residents have put the said leaders on notice, Gachagua said, adding that their fate would be sealed soon if they do not change.
“As we prepare ahead of the 2027 elections, take note the coming election will be very competitive. You know I am that person who listens to the ground. Some serious decisions have already been made.”
However, several Mt Kenya leaders, mostly allied to President William Ruto, vowed they will not succumb to what they called ‘Gachagua’s threats’.
The defiance comes despite the DP’s escalated political activities and efforts to ‘unite’ the region.
Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri termed Gachagua’s efforts to solidify the region as an illusion.
“It is his wishful thinking that he can dictate who will be elected in Mt Kenya region or anywhere in the country,” Kiunjuri said.
In a phone interview with the Star, the former Agriculture CS reckoned that the DP is trying to bully leaders into submission.
“This talk of giving people up to December or they be swept is just an illusion. It is a way of intimidating leaders to start praising him,” he said.
The Service Party leader said the region’s leaders will not bow to others to secure re-election in the next polls.
“Leadership is not about coercing people. It is about convincing people. You can gain popularity through fear or respect. The issue of who will be elected and who will not, will not depend on kneeling to small gods,” he said.
Kiunjuri accused Gachagua of leveraging the public rage against President William Ruto’s administration and the revolt over the government to gain political mileage.
“He has chosen to be a populist. He is riding on the problems the government is facing to popularise himself. That is why he always says people listen to the ground,” he said.
On Wednesday last week, Kiunjuri took his war with Gachagua outside Mt Kenya after he led a host of leaders from the region in a meeting with the Kikuyu community living in Uasin Gishu - President Ruto’s backyard.
“We are going to oppose attempts by the DP to try and isolate members of the Mt Kenya region from the rest of Kenyans for his political gains ahead of the 2027 polls,” Kiunjuri said.
The Eldoret meeting was just one of the forums they have lined up across the country to “undo the political damage” Gachagua has caused to members of the community.
Like Kiunjuri, Gatanga MP Edward Muriu is unimpressed with Gachagua for attempting to force his ‘kingpinship’ on people from the region.
“There is no constitutional provision for a kingpin. Is the kingpin earned or is it forced on people?” he posed.
The DP is senior by virtue of being the Deputy President, Muriu said, a position that does not elevate him to the Mt Kenya political supremo.
“There is nothing to control. What is controlling? Which politics? All of us came in through the UDA party… All those other things (of political kingpins) are his. Maybe that is his brand of politics,” Muriu said.
Gachagua’s defenders and allies have said he is the undisputed king of Mt Kenya.
Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga asserts that Gachagua will be a defining factor in the 2027 elections.
“The people” are with the Deputy President, Kahiga said.
“Whether by default or by design, Riggy G is currently the senior-most leader in the mountain. Whether that automatically makes him the undisputed leader is as much your guess as mine,” the governor told the Star.
Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba said Mt Kenya will rally behind the DP.
“We know those people who walk around abusing Rigathi Gachagua and former President Uhuru Kenyatta and we will not allow that character,” Wamuchomba said.
Calling the DP names won’t deter him from uniting the people of the mountain.
”Let them call you a villager but we will support you,” Wamuchomba said.
Gachagua’s growing influence has forced his critics to back down, Embakasi Central MP Benjamin Mwangi alias Meja Donk, said.
A close ally of the DP, Mwangi said Gachagua is the region’s top leader.
“They (critics) have gone to the ground and realised that the people are with Gachagua. The people have decided that the leader and the person who will show them direction is Gachagua,” he said.
Critics have realised that attacking the DP is counterproductive as he is popular on the ground.
“They have retreated because they have been defeated. For a politician, if you want to surrender, you first retreat then come out at the right time to announce support for that person,” he said.
His colleague, Embakasi North’s James Gakuya responded in the affirmative when asked if Gachagua has become the region’s kingpin.
"Yes, as of today, he is,” he said.
Political risk analyst Dismus Mokua thinks the DP still has some ground to cover to firm up his bid as the foremost political leader of Mt Kenya.
The division and outright rebellion by some leaders have put a dent in Gachagua’s ability to inherit former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s political influence.
For close to a decade, Uhuru controlled the politics of the vote-rich region.
“Gachagua is a beneficiary of a few missteps by some Kenya Kwanza politicians, especially in Mt Kenya region, who underrated his influence from the word go,” the analyst said.
The tide is steadily turning against Gachagua’s hitherto political enemies while enhancing his relevance as the region’s political godfather.
“We could argue that Gachagua has managed to counter his critics by advancing issues that continue to trouble many Kenya including resonating well with the rage against the government,” Mokua said.