Ruto’s political tact to regain restless Mount Kenya voters

PRESIDENT William Ruto is strategically engaging Mt Kenya as he aims to assuage and regain control of the restless region that overwhelmingly supported him in the last election.

This revelation comes ahead of the President’s planned one-week ‘development’ tour of the vote-rich region next week.

On Wednesday, Ruto finally sacked the defiant Public Service CS Justin Muturi but strategically replaced him with a man from Muturi’s party and constituency.

The President picked Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku — the only member of the National Assembly elected in Muturi’s DP party and from his Embu backyard — to replace him.

In addition, Ruto tactfully failed to crack the whip on other top state officers from the region as previously expected following his fallout with his former estranged deputy Rigathi Gachagua.

Last week, Ruto failed to trigger a bloodbath on PSs from the region and instead opted to create more State Departments to accommodate opposition chief Raila Odinga’s allies in the broad-based government.

The President created seven State Departments — pushing the PS positions to an all-time high — despite the tough economic times.

The developments are seen as clear efforts by the President to endear himself to the residents, who are politically baying for his blood after he engineered the removal of Gachagua.

 Gachagua has become the darling and the political supremo, vowing to vanquish Ruto from the region that he once controlled.

“From today, the people of Mt Kenya have politically disengaged from President Ruto. We will not support him in 2027,” he said during a recent media interview at his Wamunyoro home in Nyeri.

The former Mathira MP has already announced that he will launch a new political vehicle in May to challenge President Ruto.

Gachagua is crafting a mega-opposition coalition with several political figures, including Wiper boss Kalonzo Musyoka, DAP Kenya Eugene Wamalwa and Martha Karua of People’s Liberation Party.

The President begins his one-week tour of the region on Tuesday next week. Ahead of the visit, Ruto has held boardroom meetings with local leaders, including governors and MPs.

Sources familiar with the discussions indicated that the leaders reviewed several stalled projects within Mt Kenya and urged the President to expedite their revival.

In a statement, State House noted that the meeting focused on development projects aimed at accelerating growth, addressing local needs and ensuring all Mt Kenya residents ben