Tuesday 25th March, 2025 07:40 AM|

President William Ruto yesterday met leaders from the Mt Kenya as he sought to pacify the restive region ahead of his visit later this week.

With Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, the President met Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and Governors from the region at State House in Nairobi.

Ruto said on X. “We are aligning national and county governments’ priorities to accelerate our development agenda, effectively address the needs of our people, and drive inclusive growth.

Among those who attended the meeting were Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire, Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga), Kimani Wamatangi (Kiambu), Joshua Irungu (Laikipia), Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka Nithi) and Irung’u Kang’ata (Murang’a).

Others were Nyandarua’s Kiarie Badilisha and Meru’s Isaac Mutuma.

Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga, a close ally of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, gave the meeting a wide berth.

“We discussed key programmes and projects that we are implementing to spur the region’s socio-economic transformation,” Ruto said.

Sources told People Daily the leaders agreed the projects Ruto is to launch during his tour of the region that starts on Saturday.

“We focused on projects that could help address the needs of the people and ensure inclusive growth. We are also required to help mobilise the people to attend the presidential tour and give him a warm reception,” said a governor who attended the meeting but requested not to be named.

President Ruto’s tour comes as locals are up in arms following the impeachment of Gachagua amid claims that more leaders from the region in Ruto’s government could face the axe to pave the way for Raila Odinga’s allies.

Raila and his ODM party have inked a political deal with Ruto and UDA that has seen the formation of a broad based government and inclusion of opposition leaders in government.

When Ruto reshuffled his Cabinet last week, he dod not touch Mt Kenya region PSs, ostensibly to avoid a backlash from the region’s leaders and residents.

Yesterday, former Meru Governor Kawira Mwangaza poured cold water on Ruto’s planned visit, saying the President and local leaders had achieved nothing in Meru in the past two and half years besides impeaching her.

“As we expect President Ruto’s development tour in Mt Kenya region and particularly Meru County, I precisely point it out that, the 11 Members of Parliament, the Senator, current/former CSs, PSs and 47 MCAs in a combined effort of two and half years have only been able to complete one Single project, videlicet, Governor Kawira Mwangaza Impeachment Project,” she said on her Facebook page.

“Are there any other?”

Mwangaza spoke a week after Meru Deputy Governor Isaac Mutuma took the oath of office as the fourth county chief following the impeachment of his boss.

The ceremony that took place at the Mwenda Antu grounds saw hundreds of locals witness the long-awaited historic moment as the former prison warden and cleric rose to county top office.

The swearing-in of the 45-year-old Mutuma, from Antubociu in Igembe South, came after High Court Judge Bahati Mwamuye on March 14 upheld the Senate decision to impeach Mwangaza.

Mwangaza has accused local MPs and former governor Kiraitu Murungi of being behind her woes.

Ruto is set to visit the politically charged Mt Kenya region on Saturday, with his first stopover in Mathira, the home ground of Gachagua.

Ruto is expected to face the mountain and confront growing tension in the region over Gachagua’s impeachment. Mt Kenya gave the President his largest support in the 2022 General Election.

In readiness for his visit, Ruto last Thursday met MPs from the region and the group came up with a list of projects that he will commission.

In a message posted on his X page, Ruto confirmed that he had met the Mt Kenya MPs, saying they discussed the progress they were making in coffee, tea and dairy farming, infrastructure development, affordable housing and fresh produce markets, among others subjects.

He wrote: “Constant consultation with elected leaders provides the best platform for deliberation on and consequently implementing transformative development programmes that benefit the citizens of our country. On this front, we are truly on course on our programmes anchored under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.”

The meeting came a few days after the MPs met Kindiki to plan the visit.

Ruto is scheduled to hold a series of meetings with leaders from the vote-rich region at Sagana State Lodge in Mathira constituency, Nyeri County.

This will marks Ruto’s first development tour of the region since Gachagua’s impeachment in October last year.