Inside new Ruto, Mt Kenya pact to stop war drums

A reportedly highly reflective President William Ruto met some Mt Kenya leaders whom he had summoned to State House breakfast meeting on Saturday, announcing that he had less than 40 minutes to make his point.

"We ended up taking 30 minutes and some 10 minutes taking photographs. His security men and handlers were hovering around to take him to Kirinyaga County where he was to conclude his three-day working tour of the Mountain," said Kieni MP Mr Njoroge Wainaina.

The leaders present received their urgent invitations on Friday evening with two listed agenda items namely ‘broad-based’ Cabinet nominees support (19 already sworn-in) and Mt Kenya cohesion.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua did not attend, explanation being that him being part of the discussion agenda, had to keep off so as to make deliberations more free and open.

Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro whose name has been floated publicly as the favourite choice for some Mt Kenya leaders to replace Mr Gachagua should he be thrown under the bus, also attended the meeting.

Mr Wainaina reveals that it was a meeting of two cornered parties.

He said the president had observed several factors during his August 7, 2024, visit to Embu County and the Murang'a tour two days later and was in agreement that the political bickering that has in the recent past peaked in the region, had created loyalty camps.

The president wouldn't have missed how residents were exaggerating their love for Mr Gachagua just to express their dissatisfaction on claims that he (Gachagua was being persecuted).

"As such, the president being the experienced politician he is, knew the Mountain was restive and needed to be helped heal. The president is also aware that the Mountain forms 47 percent of his authority and cannot be discarded easily," Mr Wainaina said.

On the other hand, Murang'a Senator Joe Nyutu reports, most Mt Kenya leaders had developed fatigue about daily camp wars revolving around Mr Gachagua, former president Uhuru Kenyatta, and President Ruto loyalists.

"The hostilities were only serving to divide us and most of us had started appreciating the fact that voters were profiling us for acceptance or slaughter come 2027," Mr Nyutu said.

Mr Nyutu said fighting the Deputy President was becoming difficult and unpopular, with crucial stakeholders making it no secret that they wanted a united Mountain that was pursuing development for area people instead of peacocking around fighting egoistic wars.

It is a meeting of such two cornered parties that met in State House and in search of a common ground that would post win-win results.

Several other attendees confirmed to AVDelta News that both parties were not there to haggle about what needed to be done, both had appreciated the reality and all they desired was a workable solution.

At the end of the 30 minutes, the leaders had stated their case, all unanimous that all they needed was peace and stability to salvage popularity among their voters.

The president proceeded to offer leadership regarding what he thought was the best way forward.

The president is said to have implored Mt Kenya leaders to help him sell his broad based Cabinet--that had six of Mr Raila Odinga loyalists--to the Mountain voters.

They are the former Minority Leader in the National Assembly Mr Opiyo Wandayi (CS Energy), John Mbadi (CS National Treasury), Hassan Joho (CS Mining), Wycliffe Oparanya (MSMEs), Beatrice Askul (East African Cooperation Affairs and Regional Development) and Dorcas Oduor for Attorney General.

There were concerns that Mt Kenya voters who report to General Elections to block Mr Odinga from ascending to ultimate power, had felt betrayed by Ruto whom they gave 87 percent of their votes so as to lock out the Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya boss.

There were those in Mt Kenya who felt that even if president Ruto had to work with Azimio, he should have done so through Mr Kenyatta who also has national networks and is still the chairman of the opposition outfit.

President Ruto asked Mt Kenya leaders to sell the ‘broad based’ Cabinet through inviting the six Azimio members to the region to interact with the people one on one.

Dr Ruto is said to have told the leaders that they should consider according Mr Odinga's right hand men (and women) same acceptability and cooperation they were according the eight from Mt Kenya.

State House brief to the media after the meeting indicated that the president recommended counties be used as the selling focal point.

His exact words as revealed were: "This is where I need your support since unless you are speaking in one voice at the counties, the service delivery agenda will be problematic".

The president also assured the Mt Kenya leaders that he will not run two political formations in his Cabinet, assuring them that his will be a unitary government of Kenya.

His uttered words are reported thus: "I will not run two political formations in the Cabinet. There will be no ODM or UDA wings… this is Kenyan government".

Stop impeachment debate

To help the Mt Kenya leaders get ground reprieve, the president promised to personally stop the Gachagua impeachment debate.

Dr Ruto further said the impeachment debate against his Deputy did not emanate from him and neither was he in support, “rather, it was formulated in the supremacy battles rocking your region.”

The president further is reported to have assured them that there was no major rift between him and his deputy "only some small issues here and there and which we are mutually dealing with".

Mr Wainaina said "the president promised to whip his loyalists to stop public attacks against Mr Gachagua".

A fierce critic of Mr Gachagua who attended the meeting on Saturday told AVDelta News that the president also promised to speak to Mr Gachagua to prevail him "to cease attacking us where he calls us tukunia, kunda ngutume, ngati and komerera, (all being Gikuyu language to mean traitors".

The two parties agreed to try and win back Mt Kenya support through fast tracked development agenda touching on completing stalled and implementation of new projects.

To that end, the president promised to lead his broad based cabinet to be making development oriented visits to Mt Kenya.

They all agreed to approach 2027/2032 political duels from a united front but most importantly for now suspend ambition camps and concentrate on getting the development job done.

Mr Nyutu who has been vocal against Mr Gachagua to a point of recommending his sacking said the Mountain is now united ant that they are in genial dispostion with president's ‘broad-based’ government courtesy of the State House meeting.

Mr Nyutu confirmed that the leaders confessed to the president that the political bickering in the region was putting them under voters' pressure and aggravating 2027 reelection ambitions.

"I personally declared that I have no problem with the Deputy President and from now henceforth we will unite to deliver all the pre-election pledges we made," he said.

It was claimed that the president had earlier been handed an intelligence report indicating that appointment of Mr Odinga allies into the Cabinet had made the region sulk.

The meeting resolved that Mt Kenya leaders will help the president drum up support for the new Cabinet in the region through positive messaging in public as well as in media talkshows.

The president has since declared that he will support Mr Gachagua to shine in his office through direct help in the fight against anti-profit cartels in the coffee, tea, and dairy sectors. 

Mr Gachagua has also assured the president that his vocal calls for Mt Kenya unity ahead of 2027 is for their joint reelection bid but not for rebelling.

Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi who has been trying to link Mr Gachagua to a ‘mutiny’ plot against President Ruto said "that is water under the bridge, we have agreed to work together with all in this government led by Dr Ruto and his deputy".

"We have agreed that the young Turks in this government be mentored until they became accomplished leaders... and where we err we not be corrected by use of the mallet... it be done softly and sensitively," Mr Wamumbi said.

Later in the day at Sagana town in Kirinyaga County, Mr Gachagua made a revealing speech saying "we are happy Mr president that you have united us and we are ready to support our government to the hilt".

Mr Gachagua added that “we have no issues with our government as reconstituted”.

"We are happy for Mr Odinga cooperation and we are going to support it as a region all the way to logical conclusion," Mr Gachagua who has earned the ‘Villager’ moniker said.

On his part, Mr Nyoro said "we have a cardinal duty to support the president we elected massively as a region, identify with his challenges in delivering his mandate as well be there for him as he strives to win stability necessary for ethics of a working nation to thrive".

"Mt Kenya region will now be heard speaking less but doing more to deliver electoral mandate to area people," Mr Nyoro said.