As President William Ruto plots to face Mt Kenya in a six-day tour starting April 1, 2025, grave issues as cited by several political pundits stare back at him seeking answers.

Should the visit happen as highlighted by his loyalists, it will be the third since the impeachment of Rigathi Gachagua as his Deputy, a move that sent the Mountain sulking to become his most ardent opposition.

The president has visited Embu County where he was booed in a church and also visited his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta's Ichaweri home for what many thought was search for a political handshake.

According to Kikuyu Council of elders Chairman Mr Wachira Kiago, the president must confront the issue of why he took Mt Kenya power and gave it to Mr Raila Odinga in what is now known as broad-based government.

"The facts are that Mt Kenya gave Dr Ruto 87 percent of their votes constituting to 47 percent of his authority. He has gone ahead and grafted into government the man the Mt Kenya people defeated. Mt Kenya deserves an explanation on how the president rates elections as a democratisation tool," Mr Kiago said.

Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri says "the president had no choice but act in the best interests of the country by bringing Mr Odinga on board to save the country from disintegrating".

Mr Kiunjuri who supports the President's tour told us that Mr Gachagua left the president with limited wriggling space.

"We sent a man into government who was never ready to be a nationalist. He defied the demands of his national office and started dragging the president into the crime of segregation. He started plotting for the fall of government and the president had to save the country for all of us. We had to impeach him," Mr Kiunjuri said.

Another issue waiting to confront the president is why his administration is appearing to target area leaders through de-whipping them from house committees at the National assembly and the Senate.

"This is a president who is on daily basis showing us open hostility, making us feel unwanted in his government as well as devising to make our potential leaders become irrelevant," says Kipipiri MP Ms Wanjiku Muhia.

Ms Muhia added that "even if it was all about loyalty check, there are those from Mt Kenya who are loyal to him and should have been handed the committees to chair instead of giving them to opposition".

In pushing for the de-whipping spree, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah had said that "the committees must conform to the national aspirations, push for deliverables to the citizens and help in harnessing national values".

In short, Mr Ichung'wah was accusing the Mt Kenya victims of de-whipping of following the route that does not capture national interests and their loyalty to ousted Gachagua was not good for the president.

According to Murang'a Senator Joe Nyutu, the president should confront the issue of impeachments and de-whipping in a bold manner.

"The president visits us as accusations rage that he directly sponsored the impeachment of Mr Gachagua and that of immediate former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza. He is also branded as the force behind our de-whipping from committees. He should choose a venue in his tour and explain to us why he has been such salvage," Mr Nyutu said.

Kirinyaga Woman Representative MP Njeri Maina accuses the president of planning the visit to shed crocodile tears.

"We know very well that you don't mean well for us. We have intelligence that you desire to split our voting might by sponsoring presidential contenders in every Mt Kenya county to split our votes," Ms Maina said.

She added that the visit is carefully being puppeteered to seem pro-people, but in essence being a mood assessment one to empower him scheme against Gachagua's intended launch of a stronghold party. 

"Immediately after the president is done with the visit, you will start seeing and hearing proponents of divide and rule sprout out. The oldest rule in the world is that of divide and rule. Some of us may be young, but we have the wisdom of our ancestors, seeping deep like the great Mugumo tree and we must tell the president not to dare us," she said.

Nyandarua Senator John Methu wants the president to spare his time and explain to Mountaineers why he is appearing hellbent to pit Mt Kenya residents against each other and setting them for national humiliation.

"We've seen him remove Gachagua from office and replace him with his fellow brother, Kithure Kindiki. He has sacked Justin Muturi as Public Service CS and replaced him with fellow Embu County neighbour Mr Geoffrey Ruku," Mr Methu said.

The nomination of Mr Ruku as CS sets the stage for moment of reckoning between the president and Mr Gachagua in a by-election that will certainly ensue.

Mr Gachagua has since directed Mt Kenya residents to severe relations with the president and the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party hence why the invitation to a by-election is a mouthwatering conflict in the offing.

Mr Methu added that "that balancing act that the president is currently engaged in within the Mountain does not depict a picture of a man with national values at heart...rather, it reeks of a man who is committed to using the tribal and regional cards to secure his politics".

Mr Methu added that "the president has presided public gatherings where his loyalists like Webuye West MP Dan Wanyama boldly advocated for the isolation of Mt Kenya region".

But Mr Kiunjuri defends the president saying "when independent offices like the Director of Public Prosecutions, the National Police Service and the National Commission on Integration and Cohesion fail to do their job as per their mandate, the president cannot be held liable".

He said "the problem should be pinned on the National Assembly where such utterances when not acted upon are supposed to be prosecuted and recommendations of censure and removal from office are supposed to be initiated".

The de-whipping that has highly disturbed the Mt Kenya region is that of Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, who was removed from the Budget and Appropriation Committee chair and replaced with Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi.

According to former Mt Kenya MCAs Caucus Chairman Mr Charles Mwangi (2017-2022), Mr Nyoro sacrificed a lot for the Ruto presidency.

"Mr Nyoro was first proposed as Ruto's running mate. He lost to Gachagua. He was proposed for the National Treasury or Interior CS, but he said he did not want a position that alienated him from his Kiharu people," Mr Mwangi said.

At 37 years, Mr Nyoro according to Mr Mwangi, felt that his ascent in political space required him to retain an electoral base "reason why he negotiated to be the Budget and Appropriation Committee chairman after the majority leader slot was allocated to Mr Ichung'wah".

Mr Mwangi said "de-whipping such a man who has outrightly shown you goodwill to a point of backing down without conditions from win prominence paints a picture of a heartless, thankless and stone-cold visitor to our region".

Another issue that confronts the president is the narrative being peddled by his loyalists that if the Mt Kenya people will continue showing cold emotions to Dr Ruto, then they will miss out on development.

According to Thika Town MP Alice Ng'ang'a, "government goes where it is loved".

Mr Kiunjuri adds that "we should not act naive by pretending not to know how resources are lobbied for...the presidency remains a pivotal centre in influencing development".

Mr Kiunjuri adds that "we show the president that he is unwelcome in our region and there are other regions that are more than ready to embrace him...we must realise that our votes are negligible compared to others combined against us".

Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni says "the president must know his rating in Mt Kenya is at its lowest and nothing less than sensible and meticulous action will give him reprieve".

Mr Kioni said "we are not people to be promised machines to make chapati...the president must not come to the Mountain to launch County government projects and promise us fiction projects and budgets...the Mountain is more conscious now while dealing with him".

Mr Kioni said "we want to hear mature and sensible talk like phasing out draconian taxes that are killing our businesses and eroding our abilities to parent after he takes away our disposable incomes".

Mr Kioni said "we want him to assure our importers that he is going to remove the new taxes he has imposed on them as well as announce measures to cushion them against market imperfections and distortions bred by foreign competitors licensed to operate in the local market".

Gatanga MP Edward Muriu wants the president to explain to the area people what happened to agricultural reforms that formed the bulk of pre-election economic charters that he signed with area farmers.

"The National Treasury has silently sneaked in 1.8 percent new levy to coffee Brokers on every transaction done at the Nairobi coffee exchange and raised annual membership fees to all brokers at the Capital Market Authority," Mr Muriu said. 

He added that "this was so strategic to ensure they levy every kilo of coffee sold at the coffee Auction eats into farmer's net gain. The provision was part of what we had rejected during the passing of the Coffee Bill at the National Assembly in December".

Githunguri MP Ms Gathoni wa Muchomba said “we have a scandal touching on education capitation where our Mt Kenya schools are being depopulated”.

"The removal of some of our pupils aimed at cutting down in what comes to our schools as capitation is worrying," Ms Wa Muchomba said.

Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara says “this visit should prove us wrong that it's unnecessary”.

“The visit should leave us with solutions to return of illicit brews and narcotics cartels,” said Ms Kihara.

She added that "we should have security beefed up to defeat crop and livestock theft cartels as well as announce total ban on Mungiki proliferation supported by some of his loyalists".