Kariuki calls for new political approach in Mt Kenya ahead of 2027

Ndia MP George Kariuki addresses residents during his consultation tour in Mt Kenya. [Amos Kiarie, Standard]

Ndia MP George Kariuki has called for a new political approach in Mt Kenya, warning residents against leaders he accuses of using insults, ethnic rhetoric and divisive politics as the region seeks to secure its interests ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Kariuki accused Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Public Service Cabinet Secretary Ruku of pursuing what he described as efforts to divide the Mt Kenya region while dismissing former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s political style as unsuitable for a region seeking to strengthen its relationships with other communities.

He urged Mt Kenya residents to reject leaders whose politics, in his view, damage the region’s relationship with the rest of the country and instead support leaders who can unite the community and advance national cohesion.

“Some leaders, instead of telling us how they will help the region, their work is to insult others. Such leaders, as a community from the region, should not be given any chance to grow politically because as they rise, they are destroying our relationship with other regions and other communities. They are destroying our region and our country,” Kariuki said.

He said the region should elevate leaders capable of advancing development rather than those who exploit ethnic emotions for political gain.

“We want a leader who can unite. We don’t want tribal leaders and those who are poisoning our children and parents. We want leaders who are talking about bettering the lives of Kenyans,” he added.

Kariuki was speaking during his ongoing 90-day consultation with residents and leaders from across Mt Kenya, which he launched at his home in Gacharu, Kirinyaga County, to gather views on the region’s political future.

He said the consultations would guide his next political move and help shape his position on the leadership and political direction of the region ahead of the elections.

The consultations have taken him to Ruiru and Githurai, which he described as the “gateway to the mountain”, as he seeks to engage people beyond his home county on the region’s concerns.

Kariuki said political divisions within Mt Kenya had created confusion over the direction the region should take, arguing that Kirinyaga could provide a middle ground between competing political camps.

“There are leaders who don’t know where they want the mountain to go. They don’t know whether they want us to go to East or West. If they are confused, I am here to give them a solution. I want to tell them that Kirinyaga is the mountain's heartbeat. We are neither East nor West, and we are the ones with the solution,” he said.

He argued that the solution could not be imposed without consulting residents, hence the decision to undertake the 90-day exercise before making his next political move.

Kariuki also aimed the increasingly combative exchanges between political leaders, saying the region should learn from the leadership style of former President Mwai Kibaki.

“Some leaders are insulting each other. One is saying the other is small in terms of political ranks compared to him, and the other is saying that the other has a soft voice. This is not the leadership Mwai Kibaki taught us. He taught us that leaders should respect each other,” he said.

According to Kariuki, leadership should be based on tolerance and sober decision-making rather than political chest-thumping and emotional rhetoric.

“Leadership is not about chest-beating and insulting one another. Mwai taught us that leadership is tolerance. Most of us think that the loudest politician is the one people want and are listening to. We put emotions and find ourselves not making good decisions instead of listening in a sober manner,” he added.

His criticism also extended to Gachagua, whom he accused of attacking fellow leaders and promoting divisions. Kariuki challenged Gachagua to demonstrate that he can unite Mt Kenya with other Kenyan communities if he wants to lead the region.

“If you want to be a leader of this region, you must ensure that our people are united. Stop insulting and inciting people and stop pushing Mt Kenya away from uniting with other communities. We have watched you; you only want to divide people, you do not unite them,” he challenged Gachagua.

The Ndia MP said Mt Kenya should not repeat what he described as the mistake of remaining outside the government when political decisions are being made.

He said the region was approaching a critical stage, with the current administration nearing the end of its first term and political parties beginning to position themselves for the next government.

“We are almost at the end of the first term of this government. When the government is formed in the next 11 months, where shall we as a region be? We don’t want to be out of the government. We want to be in a government that we have formed, but not the one we have been forced to join by other leaders,” he warned.

Kariuki said being part of the process of forming the next government would give Mt Kenya greater leverage to negotiate for positions and development priorities.

“If you are not present when the government is being formed, you cannot negotiate and get a good position that will be beneficial to the community when the cake is being shared,” he said.

He also indicated that his consultations would not necessarily lead the region away from President William Ruto, saying he wants Mt Kenya to remain strategically engaged with the administration.

“I personally will not leave this government. I want us to position ourselves behind President William Ruto,” Kariuki declared.

However, he warned that the region would resist any political strategy that he believes seeks to split Mt Kenya.

“We have told Ruku we don’t want to go in the direction he wants to take us. We want to tell those sending him that we, the people of the mountain, don’t want to be divided,” he said.

Kariuki said he would continue touring the region with a message of unity, summarising his political appeal as “one region, one people, one nation.”

He warned that if what he described as divisive politics continued, Mt Kenya would consider alternative political leadership ahead of 2027.

“If Ruku and the one sending him don’t stop this, we shall look for another way. We shall look for good leadership that is not violent, divisive or retrogressive. We want to move forward as a region and unite with the rest of Kenyans,” he warned.

Kariuki’s argument comes against the backdrop of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s recent position that he is not interested in the deputy president’s position, arguing that President William Ruto has weakened the office.

Gachagua made the remarks during the Wamunyoro political conclave, where leaders and delegates discussed the region’s political direction ahead of the 2027 General Election.