EMBU, Kenya- Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku have met elders from the Mt Kenya East region in Embu County as political conversations around the region’s leadership and future direction intensify ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The two senior government officials attended the elders’ gathering in Siakago, Embu County, on Saturday, August 15, 2026. Reports from the event indicate that thousands of elders from Embu and surrounding Mt Kenya East communities were present.
The meeting comes barely a week after Njuri Ncheke elders in Meru held a major traditional engagement involving Kindiki, where the Deputy President was endorsed as a leading figure for the wider Mt Kenya region.
Elders back Kindiki and Ruku
The Embu meeting comes against the backdrop of growing debate over the political relationship between Mt Kenya East and Mt Kenya West.
Recent reports indicate that elders from the region have been mobilising around questions of political representation, development and the region’s relationship with the national government.
Ruku has recently argued that Mt Kenya East should chart its own political course, saying the region’s economic and democratic interests no longer necessarily align with those of Mt Kenya West. He said elders from Meru, Embu, Kirinyaga and Tharaka Nithi would meet in August to discuss the region’s political future.
The Public Service CS has, however, continued to defend Kindiki and has maintained that Mt Kenya East remains firmly behind the Deputy President and President William Ruto.
Kindiki’s growing influence
The Embu gathering comes at a significant moment for Kindiki, whose influence within Mt Kenya East has received renewed attention following his endorsement by Njuri Ncheke elders in Meru.
On August 7, elders gathered at Nchiru in Meru County for a traditional engagement at which Kindiki was presented as a leading political figure in the Mt Kenya region.
Meru Senator and Senate Deputy Speaker Kathuri Murungi subsequently urged Mt Kenya West residents to support Kindiki beyond the 2027 election, framing the appeal as part of efforts to strengthen unity within the region.
The developments have placed Kindiki at the centre of an increasingly active debate over who should provide political leadership for the region as Kenya approaches the 2027 polls.
Ruku’s Mt Kenya East push
Ruku has emerged as one of the most vocal advocates for greater recognition of Mt Kenya East, which comprises counties including Embu, Meru and Tharaka Nithi.
Earlier this month, he said elders from the region would formally discuss separating Mt Kenya East’s political interests from those of Mt Kenya West.
“We have historically been united with Mount Kenya West, but we are now saying that our economic and democratic interests are now not aligning with the Mount Kenya West region,” Ruku said.
The latest gathering therefore carries significance beyond a traditional elders’ meeting, coming as political actors position themselves ahead of the 2027 General Election.
