President Ruto cancels Embu visit as fingers point at hostile ground

Mt Kenya region is increasingly growing restive as the backlash against leaders perceived to have spearheaded the impeachment motion against Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua continues to be felt.

The Standard has established that President William Ruto on Saturday cancelled his visit to Embu where he was expected to preside over the 34th diocesan anniversary celebrations at the St Mark’s Teachers Training College, Kigari.

The President, according to the sources, was supposed to visit the church in July but he called off the event after the Gen Z protestors announced that they were occupying churches. His visit was postponed to coincide with today’s anniversary celebrations.

Although sources at State House maintain the meeting was called off because it clashed with the President’s schedule, other sources indicate that his last-minute cancellation was to allow the heat generated by Gachagua’s impeachment to cool off.

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Since the impeachment debate started, the President has kept a low profile and has not been making tours in the country, as his norm. He has also been avoiding the debate, opting for silence as his deputy was shown the door by the National Assembly after 281 MPs voted to support his impeachment.

The impeachment has divided the Mt Kenya region with a majority of leaders who supported the motion clashing with their electorate who felt the embattled Gachagua was a victim of political machinations.

As a result, a majority of MPs have confided that they are avoiding their constituencies while most of their rural homes were being manned by police officers.

During the burial of Bahati MP Irene Njoki’s brother Henry Gachie on Saturday, there was a clash between the people and their representatives which saw the locals boo any leader who mentioned the name of President Ruto or seemed to hail his administration.

Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika was the first to receive public wrath when she attempted to read the President’s message of condolence. She had to plead with the hostile crowd to be allowed to deliver the message to the family.

“Nowadays you are fiery. We however thank you for giving us the actual feedback,” she said after hurriedly reading the President’s speech amid jeers.

Ndia MP George Macharia, who had also attempted to highlight the projects that the government was undertaking in Mt Kenya region, found it rough when he was shouted down by the mourners, forcing him to cut short his speech.

“All the roads that have stalled will be constructed and you will see development,” the MP, who chairs the National Assembly Transport and Infrastructure Committee, told the locals to no avail.

After reading the mood, the MPs who had attended the burial ceremony kept off politics, especially the impeachment issue, while others like Kiambu Woman Representative Ann Muratha sang alone after mourners rejected overtures to join her.

In an interview, Muratha explained that the locals do not want to hear anything associated with the President because “of emotions and sympathy for Gachagua”.

“People have been lied to that Mt Kenya leaders have betrayed their son and, as a result, the electorate do not want anything from us. They do not even want to be promised development projects,” Muratha said.

While explaining Friday’s events, Muratha said every leader who spoke without invoking the name of the President was listened to and that the crowd only booed them after they did anything about Dr Ruto.

“Gachagua is not telling people the truth and, as a result, he has depicted us as the enemy of the people,” she said.