Kiharu resident Kamau Mutuota addressing residents at Kambirwa shopping centre in Murang'a, April 1, 2025. /ALICE WAITHERARemarks by President William Ruto that he has been mentoring Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro have sparked heated debate amongst residents ahead of the President's visit to the constituency on Thursday.
On Monday night, the President had a live interview at Sagana State Lodge as a precusor to his five-day development tour of Mt Kenya.
He said he has been mentoring Nyoro alongside other youthful MPs like Kimani Ichung'wah, the Leader of Majority in the National Assembly.
“Leave Ndindi Nyoro to me. He’s one of the young MPs I’m currently mentoring. There are things I don’t want to disclose here… Sometimes, these young MPs I’m mentoring make mistakes here and there but it’s my duty to guide him through,” Ruto said.
His sentiments have however sparked debate in Kiharu with residents claiming the President was trying to ‘soften’ the ground ahead of his tour of Murang’a county on Thursday.
The mentioned recent changes in parliamentary committees where Nyoro eplaced as the chairperson of the all-powerful Budget and Appropriation Committee last month, alongside other committee chairs perceived to be allied to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The residents said the President should not be seen to antagonise a leader he claims to be mentoring.
Kamau Mutuota, a resident of Kiharu said all signs are that their MP could no longer be an insider in the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“He’s saying he’s mentoring Nyoro maybe because he’s on a tour of the region," Mutuota said, adding voice to speculation that the President is visiting the Mt Kenya region to appease the residents after his bitter fallout with Gachagua.
"He can visit as the President but we don’t support his actions,” Mutuota said.
During the Sagana interview, Ruto stated that he was not involved in the reconstitution of parliamentary committees or append a signature anywhere directing MPs to impeach Gachagua.
The President reiterated that all those processess were done in accordance with the law and MPs executed their mandate as is their prerogative.
On the alleged Nyoro ouster, Ruto told the Mountain that the committees in the National Assembly and Senate were due for re-organization and that Nyoro did not defend his position as the chairperson.
“When we expanded the government, 12 out of 25 parliamentary committees were chaired by MPs from the Mt Kenya region. Nine were chaired by Rift Valley MPs but in the interest of diversity, equity and inclusion, we agreed that each region vacates three seats,” he said.
The President further noted that the MPs agreed on who would vacate the seats, absolving himself from the blame.
Hannah Wanjiru, a resident of Kambirwa in Kiharu constituency, addressing journalists, April 1, 2025. /ALICE WAITHERAAnother Kiharu resident, Robert Mutune, also commented on the mentorship saying Nyoro recently divulged that he hasn't spoken with the President since October last year.
“Nyoro is our present-day Matiba. We have asked him to keep mum and continue working for us," he said.
She said if the President is mentoring Nyoro, he should not let him exposed to political machinations particularly considering he campaigned heavily for Kenya Kwanza administration.
Murathi Magochi said Nyoro was elected to the position due to his capability and his contributions to the Kenya Kwanza campaigns before 2022.
He said the MP sacrificed to lobby for Ruto nationally at the expense of his campaigns in the constituency.
Magochi mentioned that state officers recently snubbed Nyoro's event where he was unveiling an administration office.
