NAIROBI, Kenya- Murang’a Woman Representative Betty Maina has launched a fresh attack on Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro while praising former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for what she described as his efforts to consolidate the Mount Kenya region.
Maina said she would rather support Gachagua than Nyoro, using the phrase “better the devil you know than an angel you don’t know” to describe her preference between the two politicians.
“Ndindi is a hypocrite,” Maina said, adding that she intended to continue speaking what she believes is the truth regardless of the political consequences.
“I will play the politics of saying the truth. Whether I get voted in or not, I will speak the truth,” she said.
Maina accused Nyoro of failing to adequately represent the interests of Murang’a during his time in senior government positions.
She alleged that government appointments made during his tenure largely benefited people from his Kiharu constituency.
“Every appointment he was given went to the people of Kiharu,” she said.
The legislator also praised Gachagua’s political mobilisation efforts in the region, saying the former deputy president had succeeded in bringing the Mount Kenya bloc together.
“Gachagua has consolidated the Mountain. Let him stop trying to mess that up,” Maina said.
She argued that maintaining regional political unity would give Mount Kenya greater leverage regardless of whether its leaders are in government or opposition.
“So that if, as a region, we are in government or opposition, we have power,” she said.
Maina’s changing position on Gachagua
Maina’s latest remarks represent a shift from some of her earlier public criticism of Gachagua.
In July, she rejected suggestions that she was considering joining Gachagua’s political camp and told the former deputy president that he was “not an option” for her.
She also said she did not believe in his leadership and would not join his political outfit.
However, in remarks reported on August 26, Maina acknowledged Gachagua’s efforts to consolidate the Mount Kenya region, saying he had done “a lot” to build a political party and brand.
Her latest comments come amid growing political activity in Mount Kenya ahead of the 2027 General Election, with Gachagua’s Democracy for Citizens Party seeking to expand its influence across the region while Nyoro has launched the People’s Party of Kenya.
Gachagua has also been conducting political consultations across the region as he positions his party ahead of the 2027 polls.
His 55-day political conclave culminated in a youth engagement at his Wamunyoro home on August 25.
