President William Ruto is making a return to the Mt Kenya region, his stomping ground during the 2022 presidential election campaigns. But the region has clearly undergone a sea change in the past two years.
Increasingly, it seems that the political terrain he once easily trod may no longer be as firm beneath his feet as it once was.
As he embarks on a tour aimed at regaining his political grip on the region, an unlikely figure has emerged at the center of preparations for the President’s arrival – former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga.
The Standard has learned that for the better part of Sunday, Njenga’s followers gathered at a house in Ruai to plan for Ruto’s visit, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow.
Their task includes cheering the President at public rallies and preventing critics from engaging in anti-Ruto chants, which have characterised some of his public events.
This is intended to create the impression that Ruto’s political relationship with Mt Kenya remains strong and that former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua does not hold sway in the region.
Although we could not reach Njenga for comment, his close associates confided in The Standard that more than 200 representatives of his followers attended the meeting, which began at 6am to strategize on how to welcome and “protect” the President from detractors.
“If you don’t want to listen to the President, why should you come to his meeting? You should stay at home because we will not allow anyone to disrupt the President’s meetings,” a source told The Standard.
Another source added that the 200 attendees at the meeting would relay the resolutions to their cluster groups, which would then cascade down to the grassroots to mobilize members to attend Ruto’s meetings.
“The chairman (referring to Njenga) only needs to make one call to mobilize over 10,000 people. These people will protect the President once he arrives in the region. We will not let a few individuals send a negative impression about our region,” the source said.
Mere speculation
Asked whether they had been paid for the mobilization, the source responded: “That doesn’t matter. In some instances, we do it for free. It is an extremely important assignment.”
However, through his aide, Simon Macharia, Njenga dismissed the claims, saying he was focused on his businesses.
“Although he has no issue with the President, he is not involved in any way with the mobilization ahead of the President’s visit. Those claiming otherwise are simply speculating,” Macharia told The Standard.
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On Tuesday, the President is expected to kick off his visit in Laikipia, which is considered the bedrock of Njenga’s political support.
On New Year’s Day, Njenga, who now styles himself as a Christian cleric, convened a ‘prayer meeting’ at Kabiruini Show Ground in Nyeri, where he declared war against Gachagua, saying he would not allow him to ‘incite’ the region against the President.
During the meeting, Njenga said the region had not turned against Ruto following Gachagua’s impeachment.
“The region remains united behind the government, contrary to rumors of mass defections. Only one individual has parted ways with Kenya Kwanza,” he said.
He urged the youth to commit to working with the government and to support MPs who were facing hostility in the region for backing Gachagua’s ouster.
Mugumo tree
“If one branch of a mugumo tree falls, it doesn’t mean the whole tree is down,” he said.
On January 18, Njenga and his supporters disrupted an interdenominational prayer meeting in Nyeri that Gachagua was expected to attend. Gachagua’s wife, Dorcas Rigathi, who had attended the event, hurriedly left amid confusion and tension.
“Unleashing the leader of an outlawed criminal gang and his goons to disrupt peaceful prayers and desecrate the altar is the lowest any government can go, no matter the level of desperation,” Gachagua responded in a social media post.
Ruto allies in the Mt Kenya region have also dismissed claims that Njenga was involved in planning his tour, saying MPs were at the heart of the mobilization. They attributed the claims to anti-government politicians from the region.
Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri said the allegations that the government was using Mungiki were a distraction meant to mar the President’s tour of the region.
“For the first time, the region will gauge Ruto’s administration based on facts that will be presented to the people, dispelling the propaganda that had been spread among our people,” Kiunjuri said.
Desperation
He added that Gachagua’s influence would fade after Ruto’s visit, as the President will outline his achievements in the coffee and tea sectors and fertilizer distribution.
“Let those detractors come to Ruto’s first tour in my county, and they will see for themselves who will be the attendees. They are in fear because their lies will be exposed,” Kiunjuri said.
Former Murang’a Governor Mwangi Wa Iria, an ally of Ruto, dismissed the critics of the visit, insisting the President did not require help from the outlawed sect during his tour.
“This is not the first nor the last time the President is visiting this region. I don’t understand what all the fuss is about,” he said.
The Usawa Kwa Wote party leader urged the people of Mt Kenya to come out in large numbers to welcome the President.
However, former Laikipia Women Rep Cate Waruguru warned that if Ruto resorts to using the outlawed sect to gain access to the region, it would be his lowest level of desperation.
“It would be laughable for a man who was received like a king, a leader who used to receive bananas and goats whenever he visited, now resorting to using militia to access the region,” Waruguru said.
