Gachagua, Nyoro supremacy battle splits Mt Kenya leaders

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro. [File, Standard] More than 15 Members of Parliament have endorsed Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro as Mt Kenya region kingpin. Nyoro's allies; Senator Joe Nyutu (Murang'a) and Gatanga MP Edward Muriu said son of Murang'a should replace Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as President William Ruto's running mate in 2027. Nyutu said time for Murang'a's recognition in politics has come and the President may not be forgiven by the electorate if he does not chose Nyoro as his running mate as opposed to 'Gachagua's divisive agenda that might negatively impact his chances in the region in 2027. "Mount Kenya can't afford to be in the hands of a condescending leader who goes about disparaging leaders to higher authorities," he claimed. The senator even suggested that the running mate position should be subjected to nomination instead of the current situation where it is the prerogative of the President. Speaking over the weekend Muriu argued that "women of Murang'a also give birth to leaders, and Nyoro is qualified enough to deputize Ruto. He said many leaders are supporting the Kiharu MP as a potential running mate to Ruto come the 2027 General Election. Shinyalu MP Fred Ikana said: "Mt Kenya region should allow Nyoro to crisscross the whole country to make more political allies and to mold other political leaders." Gatundu North MP Elijah Kururia claimed that the region lacked a kingpin who could lead and unite all the leaders and Nyoro is best suited to take up the mantle. "We should support him (Nyoro) because in this region we don't have a leader who can lead us in the best way, only Nyoro can," he said. The MP, an ally of the President and chairperson of the parliamentary Budget Committee has been crisscrossing the country while his counterparts have been trooping to his constituency for bench marking. However, Gachagua's allies led by Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi criticized the leaders for attempting to advice the President on who he should pick as his running mate. "They have not attained the standards of advising the President who was elected alongside Gachagua as a pair to lead the country," he said. Kirinyaga Women Representative Njeri Maina warned that the running mate debate was dangerous. "It begs the question of who is behind it and who is set to benefit most from it. The major problem with Mt Kenya is that certain people want to push their personal agenda at the expense of the best interests of the region. The rest of us are watching, we shall take action when it matters most," she said. Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga argued that the President may have nothing to do with Nyoro's ambitions saying his youthfulness could be driving him to agitate for political space and his ambitions should be nurtured. "The Mt Kenya region gave the President a whopping three million votes and the question should be can we benefit from destabilizing the region in 2027? If there is one region that the President would want to remain a voting block then it would Mt Kenya," the governor said. While saying that the future of Mt Kenya region lies in the hands of youthful leaders like Nyoro, Kimani Ichungwa (Kikuyu) Ms Maina (Kirinyaga) John Methu (Nyandarua) he advised them to allow the President and his deputy to implement their manifesto saying "you can't compare a constituency with the country." Kiambu Senator Karungo Wa Thangwa dismissed the supremacy battle between Nyoro and Gachagua wondering how an MP could take on his boss. "What supremacy battle? Gachagua is the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya while Nyoro is an MP of a tiny constituency in Murang'a county called Kiharu," said Thangwa Former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu opined that MP Nyoro was being set up by his friends against the President and his deputy and advised him to watch out as he would be the ultimate loser. "The MP is smart, articulate and focused having built himself as Ruto's loyalist against a strong wave of the former administration but he needs to change his friends," Wambugu said. "When you have a group of people telling you that you should be the President in public and not in private so that you may start planning yourself, the friends are leading you astray," he said. The former MP said should the momentum to push Nyoro against Gachagua continue, the President may be forced to take a position to control the electioneering mood and the emergence of factions. However, political pundits opine, Nyoro's ambitions may revive the bad blood between Muranga, Kiambu and Nyeri counties witnessed in 1992 when Kenneth Matiba (who was Kiharu MP) and former President Mwai Kibaki (Othaya MP) failed to unite to dislodge President Moi due to what the then US ambassador to Kenya Smith Hempstone in his book described as ego, venality, tribalism and blind ambition. It is believed that if the duo forged a united political front they would have garnered about 2.4 million to trounce the former President with analysts claiming that Kibaki's factor in the election was well orchestrated to fight Matiba. Moi garnered 1,962,866 votes, while Matiba and Kibaki got 1,404,266 and 1,050,617 votes respectively, enough to give one candidate 2,454,883 to trounce the incumbent. "The late Matiba still evokes nostalgic emotions from Murang'a residents, who still view him as the president they never had. It is a "grudge" they carry against their cousins from Kiambu and Nyeri counties, albeit covertly and with Nyoro presenting himself as the modern-day Matiba, the political animosity may be revived," Felix Mathara, a political scientist noted. Mutembei Kathurima, a political analyst from Meru county opined that the debate on who between Kiambu, Nyeri and Muranga) the larger MT Kenya West) should call the shots at the presidency level was unhealthy to Mt Kenya East (comprising of Meru, Tharaka Nithi and Embu) as the region felt sidelined. In the 2022 General Election, Mt Kenya East region had produced Interior Cabinet Secretary Kindiki Kithure to be the President's running mate a move that led to murmurs of discontent when he was not picked with the government giving the region a handful of dockets as compensation. Kathurima, said the debate on who should deputize the President should be dropped as that could antagonize the unity between Mt Kenya East and West forged by the Kenya Kwanza administration. "The discussion on who should be at the centre of power should not always revolve around Kiambu, Muranga and Nyeri counties which are our big brothers, if such a debate persists the Mt Kenya East region may reciprocate by seeking social alliances with our neighboring Kamba community," he added.

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