NAIROBI, Kenya— Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has defended his recent remarks on Mt Kenya East and Mt Kenya West, dismissing accusations that he is attempting to divide the vote-rich region and insisting that he is only highlighting longstanding disparities in development and representation.
Speaking during an interview with NTV, Ruku said his comments were intended to draw attention to what he described as historical inequalities in infrastructure and public investment, particularly affecting counties in Mt Kenya East.
“I am not splitting the mountain. I am just saying the truth of how things are as far as the region is concerned,” Ruku said.
The Cabinet Secretary maintained that communities across the wider Mt Kenya region have shared a common political and historical journey, including participating in Kenya’s struggle for independence and supporting successive governments.
“We fought for the independence of the country together as the mountain. We have been in government together in past regimes and even this administration,” he said.
However, Ruku argued that despite this shared history, development has not been distributed equitably across the region.
He cited road infrastructure as one of the clearest indicators of the imbalance, claiming that the majority of tarmacked roads within the Mt Kenya region are concentrated in Mt Kenya West.
“If you look at the distribution of infrastructure, roads in Mt Kenya, the number of kilometres of tarmacked roads, you will find 77.7 per cent of all the roads constructed in Mt Kenya region are in Mt Kenya West,” he said.
Ruku also pointed to disparities in electricity connectivity, comparing Kiambu County with counties in the eastern part of the region.
“In Kiambu County, electricity connection is about 90 per cent. But in Tharaka Nithi County, you will ask yourself, are we in the same region?” he posed.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, his call for greater recognition of Mt Kenya East is aimed at addressing what he described as decades of unequal development rather than creating political divisions.
“This perpetual unfair treatment is what I say has to come to an end,” he said.
In recent months, Ruku has advocated for leaders from Meru, Embu and Tharaka Nithi counties to pursue their own political and development priorities instead of automatically aligning themselves with the political direction of Mt Kenya West.
He argues that while Mt Kenya East has consistently supported political causes championed by the western side of the region, it has not enjoyed comparable benefits in terms of infrastructure development, government appointments and political influence.
“We, the people from Mt Kenya East, have supported Mt Kenya West time and again,” Ruku said.
His remarks have generated significant political debate, with critics accusing him of promoting divisions within the traditionally influential Mt Kenya voting bloc ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Among those who have criticised the proposal is former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who has maintained that the region should remain politically united, arguing that any attempt to split Mt Kenya into eastern and western blocs would weaken its bargaining power in national politics.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has also publicly called for unity within the region, saying leaders should avoid narratives that could create unnecessary divisions as political activity intensifies ahead of the next General Election.
Ruku, however, insists that acknowledging development disparities is necessary to achieve equitable distribution of resources and ensure all communities within the Mt Kenya region benefit fairly from national development programmes.