Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku and Mbeere North MP-elect Leo Wamuthende have launched a fresh attack on former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, saying the outcome of the Mbeere North by-election has exposed his diminishing influence in the Mt Kenya region.

Speaking on Saturday, November 29, 2025, at Embu Level 5 Hospital during a visit to a UDA mobiliser who was attacked during the by-election, Ruku said the poll results had cemented Deputy President Kithure Kindiki as the new political force in the region. He argued that voters had shown a preference for leaders who focus on development rather than divisive politics.

Ruku did not hold back when addressing Gachagua’s role in the campaigns. He told him to quit active politics and return home.

“Wewe Rigathi Gachagua enda nyumbani kwako. Mkae hapo na Pastor Dorcas. Mkunywe uji, vijana wako waoe, upate watoto wajukuu, ulee watoto wajukuu, pamoja na kondoo na mbuzi pale Wamunyoro. Uwache kusumbua watu wa hii eneo ya Mlima Kenya,” Ruku said.

The translation: Rigathi Gachagua, go home. Stay there with Pastor Dorcas. Drink porridge, let your sons marry, get grandchildren, raise your grandchildren together with your sheep and goats in Wamunyoro. Stop disturbing the people of this region of Mt Kenya.

Ruku insisted that the Mbeere North result was a clear message from the ground that voters were shifting away from Gachagua’s brand of politics. He added that the victory of the UDA candidate had confirmed and cemented Kindiki’s authority in the region.

Tight contest

UDA candidate Leonard Muriuki wa Muthende narrowly won the seat, beating Democratic Party candidate Newton Kariuki Ndwiga, popularly known as Karish, by a margin of 494 votes. According to IEBC tallies, Wamuthende secured 15,802 votes against Kariuki’s 15,308.

The by-election has also triggered wider debate in Mt Kenya politics. Former Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri, in a video shared on Friday, said the result showed that Kindiki now commands stronger support in the region than Gachagua.

Kimani claimed the mini-poll was a direct contest between the two leaders and that Kindiki had proven he has his own political base.

“Yule aliyekuwa anasema yeye ni kiongozi wa Mt Kenya ajuwe una nguvu kuliko yeye… kwa sababu uliweza kuprove na hii kiti ya Mbeere,” Ngunjiri said.

Translation: The one who claimed he was the Mt Kenya leader should know you have more power than him… because you proved it with the Mbeere seat.

He also praised Kindiki for travelling across the country to popularise government programmes, describing him as one of the hardest-working deputy presidents.