Nairobi, Kenya- President William Ruto’s speculated visit to Mt. Kenya is shaping up to be anything but a victory lap.
Once a stronghold that propelled him to power, the region has turned into a political battlefield, fueled by his fallout with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
In the past week, Ruto has scrambled to steady the ship, holding two high-level meetings with Mt. Kenya leaders at State House.
On March 21, he emphasized revamping key sectors like coffee, tea, and dairy farming, infrastructure, and housing.
A second meeting followed on Monday, featuring regional governors, cabinet secretaries, and principal secretaries—an unmistakable effort to mend fractured ties.
But will these talks be enough to win back a region increasingly disillusioned with his leadership?
President William Ruto hosts leaders from Mt Kenya region ahead of his five-day tour. They were led by DP Kithure Kindiki.
The Gachagua Factor: A Rift Too Wide?
If Ruto’s standing in Mt. Kenya has soured, Gachagua is stirring the pot.
Ever since his dramatic fallout with the president in October 2024, the former DP has been on a relentless offensive, branding Ruto as a leader who has failed the country.
“In just two years, Ruto has destroyed Kenya’s health and education systems and made the cost of living unbearable,” Gachagua claimed at the launch of Martha Karua’s People’s Liberation Party (PLP). “These years have been filled with nothing but lies.”
His allies—like Githunguri MP Gathoni Wa Muchomba, Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu, and Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga—have echoed the sentiment, accusing Ruto of sidelining Mt. Kenya.
Uncertainty looms over President William Ruto’s planned tour of the Mt. Kenya region as divisions emerge among leaders allied to him.#KTNPrime @TheJesseRogers @Ashleymazuri
The region, which voted overwhelmingly for him in 2022, is now questioning its loyalty.
Wa Muchomba, in an interview with Citizen Digital, took a swipe at Ruto’s leadership style: “We have a president who is a populist. He’s making promises he can’t deliver. If he can’t even feed his military, how does he expect to feed Nairobi’s children?”
Meanwhile, Nyutu raised concerns about why Ruto’s allies are attacking the region: “When did we become tribalists? What did we do to deserve being sidelined?”
Ruto Claps Back: The Power Play
But if Mt. Kenya leaders thought Ruto would retreat, they miscalculated. The president has hit back hard, purging Gachagua’s allies from key parliamentary positions.
- Gathoni Wa Muchomba lost her role chairing the Constitution Implementation Oversight Committee.
- Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara was moved from the Lands Committee.
- Roysambu MP Mwafrika Augustine Kamande, who snubbed Ruto’s visit, was downgraded.
Even in the Senate, loyalists like Murang’a’s Joe Nyutu, Kiambu’s Karungo wa Thang’wa, and Kirinyaga’s James Murango were kicked off influential committees.
Meanwhile, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has dismissed Gachagua as a bitter politician trying to sow division.
Kimani Ichung’wah, the National Assembly Majority Leader, has also joined the counteroffensive, further deepening the divide.
And as tensions escalate, Gachagua claims the stakes are even higher. In a radio interview on Kameme FM, he alleged an assassination plot against him and revealed he had written a “special letter” to his community, detailing what to do politically if anything happened to him.
President Ruto’s return to Mt. Kenya is a high-stakes gamble.
The meetings at State House signal an effort to smooth things over, but the rift with Gachagua and his loyalists may be too deep.
As 2027 looms, the real question isn’t just whether Ruto can regain Mt. Kenya’s trust—but whether he even stands a chance in a region that feels increasingly abandoned.
