President William Ruto’s grip on Mount Kenya politics took another hit Thursday when 10 ward representatives from Kirinyaga County walked away from his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and signed on with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s Democracy for Citizens Party.
The defections sting for a reason beyond the numbers. These were not quiet backbenchers. The ten MCAs had been vocal foot soldiers in Governor Anne Waiguru’s camp, part of the chorus beating the drum for Ruto’s re-election bid in 2027. Now they are gone, and they say it was not their idea to leave but rather their voters who pushed them out the door.
The ten are Hon. Jeremiah Makimi of Kariti Ward; Dr. Isaiah Mbogo of Kabare Ward; Deputy Speaker Jinaro Jemumo of Mutithi Ward; Timothy Kariuki-Sedi of Njukini Ward; Thomas Mwangi of Mukure Ward; Fredrick Maina Karimi of Tebere Ward; Geoffrey Murimi of Kiine Ward; Peter Njiru-Weche of Wamumu Ward; and James Wambu of Kangai Ward.
Gachagua welcomed the group at his Wamunyoro residence on Thursday and wasted no time framing their arrival as a message from the ground up.
Writing on X, he said the MCAs had been instructed by their voters to join DCP and to stand as defenders of their community against what he described as persecution and oppression of the Kenyan people. He urged them to hold firm against whatever intimidation or inducements might come their way after what he called a bold but politically sound decision.
The timing could hardly be worse for Ruto. Kirinyaga was one of the last counties in the mountain region still considered safe ground for the president, with much of the rest having already drifted toward Gachagua, who has steadily consolidated his standing as the de facto political godfather of Mount Kenya.
Losing a bloc of MCAs there, however symbolic in terms of raw legislative numbers, signals that the wall is cracking in his own backyard with 2027 still on the horizon.
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