President’s remarks that led to Muturi coronation

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi coronated by Kikuyu Council of Elders at Mukurwe Wa Nyagatha at Gakuyu Village in Kiharu, Murang'a County. [Kibata Kihu, Standard]

It has emerged that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s remarks on rotational presidency gave rise to the coronation of National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi as the spokesperson of Mt Kenya region. 

The president’s cousin, Kungu Muigai, made the revelation on Saturday at Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga shrine when he announced that in support and solidarity of Uhuru’s remarks, elders from Nyangi Ndiriri and Njuri Ncheke started the process of grooming their own.

Muigai said before the elders started preparing Muturi to succeed the president, they informed him (Uhuru) about the idea at Sagana State Lodge when he met with elders from the region as he drummed up support for the Building Bridges Initiative in January.

“Following the president’s remarks that the presidency does not belong to two communities and in his subsequent meeting with various cultural groups at Sagana State Lodge, the Njuri Ncheke elders challenged the president to support their son. The challenge was so loud that no one opposed it,” Muigai explained.

Sword of nation

He further disclosed that Muturi’s coronation would bring to an end the seclusion that Mt Kenya East people have always felt when the region was making important political decisions.

“They have always felt that we only need them to fill their vote basket, but this time round we from the majority area will support their son,” Muigai said.

His reasoning is premised on the fact that Muturi hails from Mbeere and, therefore, not a Kikuyu like the founding father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, former President Mwai Kibaki and now President Kenyatta, who hail from Kiambu and Nyeri.

Speaking at the burial of Amani party leader Musalia Mudavadi’s mother Mama Hannah Mudavadi in January, the president said the presidency does not belong to only two tribes (Kikuyu and Kalenjin).

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi (Right) at Mukurwe Wa Nyagathanga in Murang’a County. [Kibata Kihu, Standard]

In a veiled message to Deputy President William Ruto over his Hustler Nation narrative of ya Uhuru kumi na ya Ruto kumi (10 years for Uhuru and 10 for Ruto), the president said there were many communities in Kenya and power should not be in the hands of only a few. DP Ruto is a Kalenjin and so was the late President Daniel arap Moi.

Muigai further stated that Uhuru holds the sword of the nation while Muturi will now become the official spokesperson of the region, adding he would be the link between the region and the president.

Prof Peter Kagwanja, the Murang’a cultural groups patron, told the elders at the shrine that they consulted widely before settling on Muturi, saying it was the most inclusive exercise ever.

“In making decisions in the past, many of us have been excluded on such processes but this is the first event that brought together major stakeholders. Speaker Muturi has been coronated as a Mt Kenya leader and not as a politician,” Kagwanja said.

He said Muturi will be tasked with uniting the region and further clarified that there was no contradiction between his coronation and President Kenyatta’s rule in the region and the country at large.

“He will be our messenger acting as a leader, not a politician. It is like the Biblical David who was anointed even as King Saul ruled. The two events happened concurrently,” Kagwanja further stated.

The elders said they looked at many factors before settling on Muturi and that his attributes outweighed those of his opponents, who they did not name.

The elders said Muturi will be the main person in charge to bargain on behalf of the region ahead of the 2022 presidential election assisted by the president.

The ceremony started at 9am when Muturi was ushered in at the most sacred area of Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga shrine where only ‘highly-religious elders’ accessed.

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi (in black) at Mukurwe Wa Nyagathanga in Murang’a County. [Kibata Kihu, Standard]

The elders known as Maturanguru comprise those aged 80 and above.

The ceremony, which includes rituals led by the main celebrant, lasted five hours. The climax was the slaughtering of a goat to cement the agreement.

No woman was allowed to access the shrine and there was a thorough screening of elders, who used a special code given by their respective cultural heads to prevent unnecessary visitors at the shrine.

Police officers and men in black suits manned the gate after Governor Mwangi wa Iria vowed to stop the ceremony to protect the shrine from politicians.

When he rose to give his acceptance speech, Muturi assured the elders that he was ready for the task of uniting the already divided region, adding that he would not rule with an iron fist. He said unity does not mean denying those with divergent opinions  a chance to have their say.

Muturi, who has on occasion been accused of leaning on the government side, defended his leadership style saying he has done so because he was appointed by the ruling Jubilee party headed by President Kenyatta.

He said he has always been keen to expedite the president’s business in Parliament and gave the example of the approval of Martha Koome as Chief Justice.

“You all know the speed with which we did what we did in Parliament. Those asking why we expedited the process must know that I was appointed by Jubilee, the party with majority leaders,” he said.