Nyeri County is starting to attract early General Election fever nearly three years ahead, owing to it being home ground of impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

The county appears set to to be one of the hotbeds of Mt Kenya politics as forces of President William Ruto and those of Mr Gachagua lock horns.

After Dr Ruto picked Mr Gachagua as his running mate and won the 2022 General Election, they parted ways after two years leading to the impeachment on October 17, 2024.

Mr Gachagua has since retreated to his Wamunyoro village in Nyeri County from where he is coordinating activities aimed at controlling the Mountain block vote with all intentions set at making his former boss a one term president.

Already, the succession of the Nyeri gubernatorial seat that current occupier Mr Mutahi Kahiga will be vacating after serving the maximum two successive terms has started eliciting fireworks.

Names already up battling discreetly for the prize are categorised into three – Pro Ruto, Pro Gachagua and non allied.

Mr Gachagua is rated by political pundits as among the highest threats to President Ruto's second term bid.

Having already sworn that he is consolidating the vote-rich Mountain so as to attempt making President Ruto a one term president, efforts to clip his wings are already on.

According to Mt Kenya political analyst Mr Charles Mwangi who also doubles up as Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) don, "for now, Mr Gachagua is like a cult in parts of Mt Kenya, Nyeri being the most committed to him".

Mr Mwangi says "for that reason, he must come out of his home county that has a population of 760,000 (2019 census) and 482,000 voters (2022 register) firing from both barrels".

The Gachagua impeachment fiasco saw the County emphatically crucify him where Senator Wahome Wamatinga and Nyeri Woman Representative Rahab Mukami signed in support.

In the six(6) constituencies, only Tetu and Mukurwei-ini MPs Mr George Wandeto and John Kaguchia respectively supported him.

His own MP in Mathira, Eric Wamumbi, teamed up with Duncan Mathenge (Nyeri Town) as well as Mr Njoroge Wainaina (Kieni) and Michael Wambugu (Othaya) combined efforts to throw him under the bus.

Mr Kahiga has remained the most trusted Gachagua ally who walked with him the full force of impeachment and offered him comfort at home by continuing to throw brickbats at all who ganged up "against our son".

Mr Kahiga has since said Mr Gachagua desires to see Nyeri County "leading from the front in pursuing a resurrection opportunity from the ruins of betrayal by President Ruto".

He says Nyeri County must emerge the most organised in ensuring it gets patriotic leaders in the measure of community interests, proposing his deputy Mr Warui Kinaniri as ideal governor for 2027-2032 term.

"He is my deputy and I fully have faith in him. I've given him the job of mobilising own source revenue for the county and he has applied his accountancy profession to do wonders. If voters agree with me, this is the man for the job," Mr Kahiga said.

While many would perceive that Mr Kahiga would be echoing Mr Gachagua sentiments, the governor is quick to clarify that "this is my personal view to be treated as a proposal".

Mr Kahiga has since said he also eyes the senatorial seat in 2027.

Mr Kinaniri said "I firmly support Mr Gachagua, the gubernatorial seat is competitive and should Mr Gachagua and Nyeri voters endorse me, I will not disappoint".

Dr Thuo Mathenge alias Wanguku who has been vying for the gubernatorial position since 2013 and always flopping, has already commenced campaigns.

Seen as an ally of former Mungiki leader Mr Maina Njenga with whom they have been mobilising unity of Central region youths, he belongs to the camp of President Ruto.

Already, he has been appointed the chairman of the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (Karlo) by President Ruto as efforts to pacify anti-impeachment passions rage.

The president has also fished Mr Mutahi Kahiga from the political cold and appointed him Agriculture Cabinet Secretary.

Mr Kagwe though so far silent, has also been associated with interest to succeed Mr Kahiga. But appointment into the cabinet has since slowed down his ground promoters since the law bars him from engaging in electoral politics while in office.

Senator Wamatinga, who firmly is allied to President Ruto, has been campaigning for the seat, but has suffered a huge setback in the backlash of his Gachagua impeachment decision.

"If there was a man who was only waiting to be installed as Nyeri governor, it is this man called Wamatinga. A nice, development conscious and sober leader whom residents had christened Super Senator has suffered popularity crisis owing to his support for Gachagua impeachment," said Ms Josephine Kimemia who is vice chair in the National Youths Democrats Congress.

Ms Kimemia said "I strongly hope that Mr Wamatinga will devise a way of getting back into Gachagua fold so that Nyeri does not miss the quality of a leader he is.

However, in Mr Gachagua public utterances, he has ruled out embracing those who impeached him.

"Those are leaders who form the tragedy that we are in as a community for now. We are where we are because of leaders who, offered the right price, can sell of their mothers," Mr Gachagua said.

Mr Wamatinga decried the rise of toxic politics in the county, saying that "many people ask me why I took that decision. I might not have the answers, but away from toxic politics, we have a responsibility to especially nurture the young souls to access development".

Mr Wamatinga said he belongs to the wing that believes in transformative service delivery first and politics later.

Another name being floated as being groomed by President Ruto wing to succeed Mr Kahiga is that of Wamumbi.

Already, Mr Wamumbi has of late been a familiar feature besides president Ruto's public rallies, recently being in Western region.

His brief appears to be that of battering Mr Gachagua, a task he has embraced with great zeal.

"We cannot take orders from a man who could not sustain himself in the position of Deputy President. I tried advising him to go slow, but he couldn't heed. He is a man who is down and cannot determine anyone's political destiny in Nyeri," he recently told Kogi's Corner, an online TV channel.

Mr Kahiga had retained his seat in 2022 by gathering 213,373 votes in the 2022 General Election, followed by Dr Mathenge with 81,467 votes.

Former Nyeri Senator Mr Ephraim Maina came in third with 26,372 votes, Mr Peter Munyori coming in last with 4,497 votes.

Mr Kahiga at the time thanked Mr Gachagua saying "I remain thankful that he swung the vote my way, reason why I will remain loyal to him as our kingpin and the link to the President Ruto government".

As survival hots up, Dr Mathenge has dismissed links to Mr Njenga who has held huge meetings in Nyeri town twice in a month.

He has also urged president Ruto to sack him from the Karlo job if it is intended to make him betray the Mt Kenya cause.

"President Ruto appointed me for the Karlo job. I will take it though I had not applied for it. But I will not allow his appointment to drag me into political mud," Dr Mathenge recently told Inooro TV.

About Mr Njenga, the politician hit out:  “He is my friend and ally, but I condemn his recent public utterances. Assembling people to sell fear to your community is silly. Do not bring your sponsored programmes to threaten Mt Kenya people especially here in Nyeri.”

As the battle between President Ruto and Mr Gachagua continues to rage, eyes remain focused in Nyeri county as former DP's command post.