The recent wave of unrest in Mount Kenya has sparked national debate, raising questions about the region’s shifting political dynamics, economic frustrations, and deep-seated historical grievances. 

Governance and political expert Prof Fred Ogola argues that the growing dissent in the region stems from a perception that Mt Kenya has been side-lined from the corridors of power. 

He dismisses the idea that last year’s impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is the primary trigger, pointing instead to deeper economic and historical undercurrents. 

“Mt Kenya suffers when the economy suffers,” Ogola says, arguing that people from the populous region are the largest investors in the economy if looked at ethnically.  

“If the region shares over 70 per cent of national revenue with the Great Rift Valley communities, that would mean nearly 75 per cent of government tenders go to Mt Kenya. But now, it looks like the Rift communities want to take the 75 per cent and place Mt Kenya among the ‘others.’ That is not acceptable to them.” 

Ogola states that Mt Kenya is economically robust, numerically strong and socially influential, factors that make it difficult for the region to accept a perceived demotion in national significance. 

“The Luo Nyanza region has historically been politically strong but lacks economic muscle. Mount Kenya, on the other hand, has always had economic clout and rotating political ‘kings’ from Jomo Kenyatta to Kenneth Matiba, Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru Kenyatta, and now Gachagua, who’s struggling to fit that role,” he notes. 

Growing resentment 

He also raises questions about the nature of some of the protests in Central Kenya, suggesting that not all are organically driven.

“I highly doubt that a Mount Kenya resident would burn down Magunas supermarket. Looting, maybe, but burning their own businesses? That doesn’t make sense. Some of these acts could be State-sponsored to paint the region in a certain light,” he asserts.  

Ogola believes there’s growing resentment within the community over being lumped among the “others,” a term often used in national discourse to describe minority or marginalised groups.  

“Mt Kenya people do not see themselves as ‘others.’ Economically, culturally, and historically, they view themselves as the backbone of the country,” he adds. 

Political analyst Ayub Mwangi however argues that the region has always been a protest zone, even if the demonstrations have not always taken to the streets. 

“If you look at it historically, the region has had its fair share of unrest — even during Kenyatta’s time. The only president who didn’t experience protest from Mount Kenya was Kibaki. The people might not have protested in numbers before, but this new wave is simply a continuation of a longstanding culture,” Mwangi argues. 

Mwangi adds that the “one-term presidency” narrative has agitated many in the region, fuelling a sense of betrayal and exclusion. He also believes there is a possibility that elements within the government are manipulating the situation. 

“The State could be fuelling these protests by enabling criminal elements to hijack them,” he says. “You find roads to the city blocked, yet armed groups somehow get in. The government could be using this to criminalise genuine dissent.” 

At the core of the unrest, both analysts agree, are economic grievances. Mount Kenya’s business community feels under pressure, facing what they describe as systemic harassment and dwindling support from the State. 

“During Moi’s era, sectors like tea, milk, and coffee virtually collapsed, and it’s only under Kibaki that we saw an effort to revive them,” Mwangi notes.  

“Even then, small-scale businesspeople felt that their economic interests were never fully protected,” he adds, arguing that the economic marginalisation of the region dates back decades.  

“During Moi’s rule, Mt Kenya figures like Charles Rubia, Kenneth Matiba, and Koigi wa Wamwere were detained for political dissent. This shows that the region has historically resisted oppressive governance.” 

From colonial resistance to one-party state repression, Mount Kenya has consistently pushed back against regimes it deems unjust a legacy that seems to be resurfacing in today’s protests.  

According to analysts, while the faces and flags may have changed, the region’s underlying grievances remain rooted in long-standing issues of economic inclusion, political representation, and perceived betrayal by successive governments 

National problem 

But political analyst Peter Kagwanja says the Mt Kenya region has been made a “political target because it is very vulnerable.”

Just like in the Moi regime when the key economic activities were crippled, he adds, the government is now applying the same tactic to bring down the region. 

Kagwanja also believes the Ruto regime is out to decapitate the leaders who appear to have influence in the region to make them dysfunctional because he is feeling threatened.

He says the agitation by the youth is not a regional problem but rather a national issue, but there is an attempt to spin it and create an impression that the protests are emanating from Mt Kenya to play tribal politics. 

“There is an attempt to separate the Mt Kenya community from the other communities and turn the people against each other,” says Kagwanja, noting that the same strategy was used to subdue the Mau Mau as they were made to fight each other and their strength weakened. 

“This time, the unity of the region is the target,” he adds. 

On the issue of hired goons, he says both the leaders and the business community could have sponsored the youths leading to a chaotic scenario.

He describes the protests that have been happening in the country as a prolonged low-intensity civil war, adding that it’s high time the President calls for a dialogue and sorts out the matter with Gen Z. 

Macharia Njeru, also an analyst, cautions the residents against being incited into violence saying this is a ploy to dismantle the region ahead of 2027. 

“Mt Kenya should not agree to be incited and be separated from other communities because we cannot survive on our own,” he says. 

He however wonders why the leaders from the region are still silent over the issue yet they can see how the people are being persecuted.