President William Ruto appears to have thrown in the towel in his efforts of winning back Mt Kenya after he sponsored the impeachment of his Deputy, Mr Rigathi Gachagua in October 2024.

The president is now being seen to hang his survival hope in the hands of ODM leader Mr Raila Odinga who is fresh from failing in his sixth shot of prominence in the big stage.

Mr Calvine Odhiambo of the Bunge la Mwananchi chided that "President Ruto's government is in the Intensive Care Unit's life supporting machine and that machine is Mr Odinga.

"Mr Odinga switches it off and we lose government life," Mr Odhiambo said.

After failing to capture the presidency a record five(5) times, Mr Odinga has again failed in his bid to be the Africa Union Commission (AUC) chair, sending him back home to chart way forward in the local political space.

In what lays credence to notion that he is now running away from Mt Kenya, besides avoiding making development tours in the area, the president has commenced a de-whipping spree in legislative standing committees.

Though the president insists that all his actions are aimed at uniting the country and enabling him to stabilise and make his government service delivery oriented, his change of heart in Mt Kenya is too loud to be concealed.

"The president is uprooting his roots in Mt Kenya. He is removing Mt Kenya legislators from committees and replacing them with his new friends from other regions especially those allied to him and Mr Odinga," said Nyandarua Senator John Methu.

Mr Methu who is one of the de-whipping victims alongside Karungo Thang'wa (Kiambu), Kamau Murango (Kirinyaga), John Kinyua (Laikipia) and Joe Nyutu (Murang'a) said "the de-whipping is going to be extended into the National Assembly".

He said "key target is Budget and Appropriation Chairman Mr Ndindi Nyoro who is being accused of refusing to support the president in hounding Mr Gachagua out of office".

National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wa has severally said "we must have standing committees and Cabinet in the hands of those who are committed to unreservedly serve Kenyans away from politicking ambitions for now".

Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara said "you have seen nothing yet, the president is nearly ready to make changes in his government where he will purge many Principal Secretaries from Mt Kenya region and replace them with newly found allies".

She added that a silent purge is ongoing in the public service.

She said "there are some Cabinet Secretaries and envoys from Mt Kenya who will be branded as Gachagua loyalists and be axed".

After they jointly won the August 9, 2022, presidential vote, President Ruto and Gachagua relations soured in yet to be explained circumstances leading to the October 2024 impeachment.

The impeachment was immediately taken by majority of Mt Kenya voters as a hostile act against the 87 percent of the votes they had cast for Dr Ruto and Mr Gachagua ticket.

Noting there was a problem after area people remained adamant in supporting Prof Kithure Kindiki who he had appointed to replace Gachagua, the president launched charm offensive of trying to pacify the situation.

Even after the president made it clear through himself and proxies that his live for Mountaineers remained unaffected by the soured relations between him and Mr Gachagua, area voters started heckling him and Prof Kindiki even in churches and in burial ceremonies.

Undeterred, the president visited former President Uhuru Kenyatta at his Ichaweri home in December 2024 trying to get a bridge back to the mountain.

The Ichaweri bridge resulted in President Ruto soon afterwards reconstituting his Cabinet and picked former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo as Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication and the Digital Economy, Mr Mutahi Kagwe landing the Agriculture docket.

Former Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui landed the Cabinet Secretary for Investment, Trade, and Industry slot while former Murang'a Senator Kembi Gitura became board chairman for the Kenyatta University Referral Hospital.

Former Laikipia governor Mr Ndiritu Muriithi became Kenya Revenue Authority board chairperson to mark what pundits defined as Mr Kenyatta's grafting into government.

Former Gatanga MP Mr Peter Kenneth was picked as National Standards Council Chairperson, former Murang'a governor becoming the Public Procurement Board Chairman.

In a twist of fate, Mr Kenneth has now been sacked and replaced by Mr Wakhungu Chrisantus Wamalwa.

In a February 21, 2025 gazette notice, Trade CS Mr Kinyanjui announced the replacement that will now see Mr Wamalwa take over Mr Kenneth's role with immediate effect and serve for three(3) years.

Former Mungiki chairman Mr Maina Njenga started gaining unhindered impunity in both peacefully and chaotically promoting the president and his deputy in Mt Kenya, resulting in a bloody confrontation that saw three(3) of his supporters murdered by neighbours in Kirinyaga County.

But now, a close aide of Mr Njenga tipped AVDelta News that "we have been urged to stop our ground activities for unexplained reasons...we have been told to retreat back to our cells and wait for directives...our services for now appear withdrawn".

Prof Kindiki appeared to have been pressurised to take head on the Mt Kenya rebellion by visiting the area and receiving delegates at his official Karen residence, but the ground remained sulking and adamant to soften stance.

But the more he ventured into the assignment, the more aggressive Mr Gachagua got. On February 23, 2025, while in Meru County, Mr Gachagua dismissed Karen delegations as "bribery enterprise where attendees are paid between Sh5,000 and Sh50,000 each to listen for hours, scripted lies".

Though Prof Kindiki had severally cautioned Mr Gachagua "to cease scandalising serious national development issues", warning of unspecified repercussions, Mr Gachagua had remained defiant.

The path that Prof Kindiki was supposed to clear for the president to use in visiting Mt Kenya has remained thorny and a minefield, resulting to no show.

As President Ruto and allies agonised on how to make it happen that lost love be regained, Mr Gachagua announced on February 9, 2025, that "we have totally severed relations with President Ruto and we will not play any part in his 2027 reelection bid".

Mr Gachagua who has managed to hold a good majority in an occultist grip also announced that the region was ditching the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to join a new party for the region to be unveiled in May 2025.

"We are also announcing that we as Mt Kenya will form friendships with other regional leaders to craft a big anti-Ruto movement that will ensure this president does not win a second term," Mr Gachagua said.

As the emotions in the Mountain hardened, the president was deliberately seen reaching out to areas that did not support his 2022 presidential bid especially the Western region where he swallowed Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi's Amani National Congress (ANC) into the UDA stomach.

It was in one of the President's new alliance shopping that he attended a church service in Mt Elgon on January 19, 2025, where Webuye West MP Mr Dan Wanyama dropped a bombshell that appeared to excite Dr Ruto.

Mr Wanyama blasted Mt Kenya electorate for striving to dominate national politics where he accused them of seeking to blackmail the president.

He advised the President to consider uniting all the other regions against Mt Kenya, encouraging him that it was possible to win reelection without the input of the mountaineers 

"We are not going to accept that one tribe bestows unto itself a near birthright to state house tenancy. When one of them gets to state house, we allow them the space and peace to finish their terms even if they cannot deliver, but when someone from another tribe gets in, they incite and blackmail even if things are working," he said.

He added that "if we come together and unite against them, we will manage to isolate them".

The president did not appear alarmed at such anti-cohesion utterances, neither did the security instruments mandated to check on hate and divisive utterances react.

It was leaders from Mt Kenya led by Mr Gachagua who responded, him declaring in Laikipia County that "I promise you Mr President that as long as I am around, me who you impeached, will ensure that your plans to isolate us and cut us off from being equal Kenyans will not succeed".

Even some of President Ruto loyalists like Nyeri town MP Mr Duncan Mathenge for once left the executive corner and called out at Mr Wanyama.

"You cannot pretend to be a leader worthy presidential ear when you are full of yourself to a point of speaking completely out of turn and in an unmeasured recklessness," Mr Mathenge said.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino on February 23, 2025, told us that "the president appears to have reached end of his tether in Mt Kenya and the impatience he now exhibits in his hurry to salvage a 2027 reelection plan is seeing him bank on our opposition leader Mr Odinga".

He added that "we can only wish him well for he engineered this impeachment saga well in his correctness of mind and he should live with the consequences...only that what we will not allow is him using isolationist politics to sideline any corner of this country, Mt Kenya included".

Kikuyu Council of elders Chairman Wachira Kiago told us that "we support what all those preaching Mt Kenya unity are saying even when it gets more urgent that we convene a gathering to declare that even when President Ruto appears to be retracting his footprints from Mt Kenya, he realises that we are entitled to support an alternative formation".

Mr Kiago said that "we pay taxes hence we need not be threatened with development being denied our rebellious political decision...we voted for this government to serve us till 2027".

Mr Kiago said "even when divorce is granted, a property share out plan is given...even when companies are being dissolved shares are compensated in a fair manner hence why our 47 percent stake in President Ruto's authority must win us benefits commensurate as he strikes out to save his reelection bid".