Ruto, allies plot how to win back Mt Kenya

Following a fallout with his friend turned rival, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, President William Ruto has crafted a strategy to regain Mt Kenya region which has been drifting by the day after Gachagua’s impeachment.

The strategy, which involves using celebrated secular and gospel artists, will see peace caravans being conducted in all 11 counties from the Mt Kenya region.

The idea arose following the heckles and jeers from Embu County on November 16 when dissatisfied congregants booed the president when he attempted to elaborate his pet projects; affordable housing and the controversial Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF).

On October 11, mourners also heckled Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika as she tried to read Ruto’s message of condolence in a burial ceremony of Bahati MP Irene Njoki’s brother Henry Gachie where Kenya Kwanza leaders were forced to cut short their speeches amid jeers from locals.

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On Saturday last week, mourners who attended the burial ceremony of a nominated MCA Mark Gicheru, denied Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata a chance to read the president’s speech even as they shouted down Deputy President Kithure Kindiki’s speech that was being read by a government official.

Sources who are privy to the peace caravan strategy said the administration seeks to use the celebrated artists in a bid to contain the situation and to 'sober up’ residents from the emotional upheaval that has followed Gachagua’s impeachment.

“Pro-government leaders have been advised to keep off the music concerts, as they too have been made unpopular by Gachagua’s popularity as a result of the sympathy that he has acquired following his impeachment. The artists’ job description is simple, using the art to win them back to the President and also to the MPs who can’t attend a function or meet the people tour because of being shouted down,” a source who requested not to be named disclosed.

Martin Wa Janet, a celebrated gospel musician from Mt Kenya region, who also hosts a popular show on one of the leading vernacular TV stations who organised a peace concert on Sunday at Ihura stadium in Murang’a admitted that the music concerts are aimed at explaining to the people why they need to support the government while at the same time denying that the music concert was a government project.

In a phone interview, Janet claimed that the Sunday event, which ended in disarray after Gachagua stormed, had been sponsored by the businessmen and people of good will who felt that Gachagua was leading Mt Kenya people to a stray.

“We are also telling our people that we must support our government because it is the right thing to do. Even our churches pray for the government every Sunday because authority is God given,” he said.

He added “Gachagua is a threat to the stability and peace of our region, we are trying to unite our people because he has incited the community with his pursuit of sympathy as a result of his woes.”

According to the artist, “following Gachagua is akin to following a bull that is being escorted to a slaughter house” because he can’t seek an elective position after the courts upheld his impeachment.

“He is inviting people to the Opposition due to his personal issues with the government, he can’t vie for any elective seat as he is barred by the government; he is just an ordinary Kenyan like any other and our people must be told the truth,” the artist added.

While explaining on the events that saw his event ended in disarray, Janet said Gachagua was persona non grata to the event and when he arrived ‘with his goons’ he denied him a chance to address the crowd before electricity and the sound system was switched off ‘because his event was for peace and had not invited any politician.’

“Gachagua owes me and other artists an apology for gatecrushing my function, my initiative seeks to arrange meetings in a different style as opposed to the many meetings being held to cause strife with the Kenya Kwanza administration,” Janet noted.

He said his first meeting was held in Ruiru stadium on September 29, and regretted that during the said meeting, former Kiambu Governor stormed the meeting and used derogatory words against the President. Waititu was later charged with a charge of offensive conduct in which he uttered derogatory and demeaning words against the President.

The Sunday music concert held in Muranga brought together celebrated artists such as Samuel Muchoki alias Samindo, Joyce Wa Mama, Tony Young, Jose Gatutura, Hezeh Ndungu, Regina Muthoga among others.

Apart from demanding an apology from Gachagua, Janet urged the authorities to press charges against Gachagua for disrupting the peace, even as he hailed the government for withdrawing his security detail.

Following the disruption of his concert, mixed reaction ensued in social media pages as Gachagua’s supporters accused the artist of disrespecting Gachagua, who had graced the peace event ‘peacefully”.

“It was wrong and uncalled for, for an artist to embarrass the former Deputy President who had no malice when attending the function,” Benson Mugure wrote in his Facebook page.

Political analysts have argued that the government’s strategy to use artists may not work at this time as the emotions of the Mt Kenya people were high.

“The government is only aggravating the situation, it like rubbing a wound, Gachagua’s natives took the impeachment as their own predicament and that is why they grow wild at the mention of the President and any leader who supported Gachagua’s ouster, they need to go slow and let the emotions dry up as opposed to fueling them,” Charles Njoroge an analyst noted.