Laikipia Woman Representative Jane Kagiri has accused former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of failing to unite Central Kenya leaders during his tenure, claiming this neglect contributed to the current divisions and challenges facing the Mt Kenya region.

Speaking during an interview with a local radio station on Sunday, July 27, 2025, Kagiri questioned why Gachagua, who served as deputy president for two years, never convened a meeting with leaders from the region to discuss critical issues affecting their community and strategise on how to leverage their role in national leadership.

“We had former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua. I usually ask myself this question: he was our deputy president for two years. What prevented him from just one day even calling Kikuyu leaders for a meeting where they could discuss and ask, ‘This far, how can we lead the country forward?’ or even discuss matters pertaining to the Kikuyu person and how they could reap from the government?” Kagiri said.

She lamented the ongoing blame games among the community, noting that the current problems in Mt Kenya are largely self-inflicted and could have been avoided through early dialogue and unity.

“So nowadays, we are just trading blame games, asking how the Kikuyu got to this pit it is in. And it is we who brought ourselves to this pit,” Kagiri stated.

She stressed that had Gachagua taken the initiative to bring leaders together during his time in office, the region might not be facing its current troubles.

“So if the former deputy president asked us to convene, talk and plan our Mt Kenya stuff, today we would not be in the trouble we are in,” she added.

Kagiri also called for a broader national dialogue to address divisions not only in Mt Kenya but across the country, urging leaders to move beyond finger-pointing and appreciate the progress made so far.

“Let us all stop questioning who did what and appreciate, maybe, how far we have come. There is another interview I said that we need a national dialogue,” she concluded.

Ruto praises

In the same interview, the woman representative urged both the government and opposition to allow leaders the space to speak freely about what they believe in, whether in praise or criticism of President William Ruto’s administration.

Kagiri insisted that no one would intimidate her or stop her from acknowledging the restoration of peace and security in the region under President Ruto’s leadership.

“I want to say allow us and everyone to speak freely and in the way they want. No one will stop me from saying that Ruto has brought back security in Laikipia,” she stated.

She took issue with critics who have dismissed the Kenya Kwanza administration’s work in Laikipia, accusing them of either being ignorant of the progress or possibly benefiting from the chaos that once plagued the region.

“Anyone who wants to lash out at me and say that Ruto has done nothing in Laikipia, unless they want to tell me that they were happy because of the deaths that were happening there. Or they come clean on whether there was a way they were benefiting from those burials,” she said.