EMBU, Kenya- The Embu Council of Elders, Nyagi ya Ndiriri, has rejected resolutions reached during a recent meeting at Nembure Stadium that brought together elders from the wider Mount Kenya East region and endorsed Deputy President Kithure Kindiki as the region’s political spokesman.
The council’s chairman, Andrew Ireri, said the meeting was not representative of the wider Embu elders’ fraternity and that those who participated did not have the authority to make declarations on behalf of the community.
Ireri accused the organisers of using money to mobilise participants, alleging that some elders were paid between Sh2,000 and Sh5,000 to attend the gathering.
“We come here to oppose and say that the meeting at Nembure ulikua na wasaliti. Watu walagai,” Ireri said, alleging that some participants had been paid using public funds.
He dismissed the Nembure gathering as a meeting involving what he described as “traitors” and “liars”, insisting that it did not reflect the position of the legitimate Embu Council of Elders.
The dispute follows the August 15 gathering at Nembure, where thousands of elders from Embu, Meru, Tharaka Nithi and Isiolo assembled for the Mt Kenya East Elders’ Solemn Assembly. Kindiki attended the meeting alongside Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku.
The Nembure resolutions have, however, sparked a political dispute over who has the authority to speak for the Mount Kenya region and whether the region should be politically divided into East and West.
Ireri rejected the idea of dividing the region into “Mount Kenya East” and “Mount Kenya West”, insisting that Mount Kenya should be treated as one political and cultural bloc.
“Mt Kenya must be respected. There is nothing like Mt Kenya West and East,” the elders’ spokesperson said.
The disagreement comes as political activity intensifies ahead of the 2027 General Election, with Kindiki increasingly taking a prominent role in the government’s mobilisation efforts in the Mount Kenya region.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has criticised the Nembure meeting, accusing Kindiki of being used to divide the Mount Kenya region. Gachagua mocked his successor as “Soprano” while questioning the motive behind the gathering.
The Embu Council of Elders has now distanced itself from the resolutions, saying any political declaration made without the participation of recognised elders cannot be presented as the position of the Embu community.
The council has also called for caution against using elders’ meetings to advance political interests, arguing that such gatherings should instead focus on the interests, unity and welfare of the community.
