President Kenyatta’s hopes of wielding power and influence as the Mt Kenya kingpin after retirement were dashed by the outcome of the 2022 presidential election, in which his preferred candidate, Mr. Raila Odinga, was defeated by Deputy President William Ruto.
The result was also a stunning rejection of the outgoing president in his own Mt Kenya backyard, where Dr. Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) swept virtually all of the seats.
All indications are that Deputy President-elect Rigathi Gachagua will fill the void, with an eye toward a future presidential bid.
However, he will have to contend with the fact that he is not universally popular, given that his selection as Dr. Ruto’s running mate was not well received by the Kenya Kwanza Alliance’s Mr. Kenya brigade.
Being DP, on the other hand, puts him in a strong position to fill the Mt Kenya leadership vacuum, though he may have to tread carefully in order to avoid attracting nervous glances from Dr. Ruto.
UDA bagged all the four parliamentary seats in Kirinyaga through Mr. Gichimu Githinji (Gichugu), Mr. George Kariuki (Ndia), Mr. Gachoki Gitari (Kirinyaga Central), and Ms. Mary Maingi (Mwea).
The party further won 17 out of 20 MCA seats in the county. Two were won by The Service Party (TSP) while one went to the Jubilee party. Ms. Karua’s Narc-Kenya did not win any elective seat in the county.
The same was replicated in Nyeri County, Mr. Rigathi’s backyard, where the party won all the National Assembly seats in Mukurwe-ini, Nyeri, Tetu, Kieni, Mathira, and Nyeri Town constituencies.
Mr. Wahome Gikonyo, a Nyeri-based lawyer, said that Mr. Gachagua had assumed the role of Mt Kenya kingpin after successfully mobilising residents to vote for Dr. Ruto.
“For you to assume the role and position of the spokesperson of Mt Kenya, you have to identify with residents’ aspirations and needs so as to earn their trust. The person who appears to have met those qualifications is [Mr] Gachagua and that is why he was able to deliver votes for Kenya Kwanza,” Mr. Gikonyo said.
