Jitters as Mt Kenya politicians caucus

All eyes will be on the highly popularized Limuru 3 meeting taking place today at the National Council of Churches of Kenya as the Mt Kenya politicians brainstorm over the political and economic future of the region.

Politically, several leaders from the Mt Kenya region have been salivating to take up the community’s kingpin seat after the exit of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria have each  been quietly  jostling  for the position either directly or through their proxies with neither of them having succeeded.

 With the existence of that vacuum, the region is not able to speak in one voice and a perception of disunity creeps in.

On the other hand, a section of leaders have continued to blame the Kenya Kwanza administration over a raft of taxes that it has introduced leading to the dwindling economic fortunes of the agriculture and business-minded central population.

Organisers of the Limuru 3 meeting have indicated that they will renew the one-man, one-vote, one-shilling revenue-sharing formula as a means of ensuring that the region gets a share of national revenue that is proportionate to the population.

Wading into the debate yesterday, Kirinyaga governor Ann Waiguru dismissed the meeting, calling out the organisers of the meeting.

Speaking during food distribution at St Luke ACK church in Mwea constituency Waiguru said that campaigns are over and leaders should focus more of fulfilling their pledges to the electorates.

Early campaigning

Waiguru termed the meeting as a scheme for early-campaigns adding that elections are over and 2027 is far and leaders must be given chance to deliver.

She said that as one of UDA governor she will not participate in such forum urging leaders to desist from early campaigns and divisive and tribal politics.

On the ranging debate of allocation formula Waiguru has dismissed proponents of One- man-one vote one shilling saying that as governors they have presented their proposal on revenue allocation across the country.

The debate has attracted views across political divide after DP Gachagua hinted on pushing for implementation of the one-man one vote formula.

Waiguru says that Mt Kenya region is not expectional from other regions which still has high number of residents warning leaders against regional politics that would create divisions in the country.

As of yesterday, a total of 31 political parties had confirmed their attendance However, the number of notable political figures from the region who will be attending was still uncertain.

Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua, Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni and various former elected leaders have indicated their intention for the meeting while from the government side, only CS Kuria has openly declared his interest in the Limuru 3.

Senior most politician

Gachagua who maintains that he commands the region being the senior most office holder in government, subtly endorsed the agenda of the meeting when he supported the revenue sharing formula, describing it as an equitable and fair method of sharing national revenue among the county governments.

“Those who intend to organize meetings should come and talk to me because I am the senior most political leader in the region. Sometimes when I speak about my community, I am accused of tribalism. Is it wrong when I show love to my people? Doesn’t charity begin at home?” Gachagua posed

On his part, CS Kuria said the Mt Kenya region has ample powers to enact the formula if those in influential positions in both the executive and legislature show commitment.

“Our region has produced the sitting Deputy President and nine cabinet members…What other powers would we be looking for? We are a government and we can implement the one-man, one-vote, one-shilling by Friday if we are serious,” Kuria who has openly declared that he is among the organisers said.

On the meeting, Karua maintained the need for a review of boundaries seeing that the population in the region has outgrown over the years.

“We are pushing for the establishment of an equalization fund for our region because we are marginalized in the distribution of resources. Our people are sick and die in their numbers because even our health facilities are overstretched,” the Azimio co-principal said.

Kioni said it is high time that the region pronounces itself on important national matters adding that currently, the mountain is neither in government nor in the opposition.

“While some claimed to be shareholders in the Kenya Kwanza government, now everybody can actually see that they are strangers in that regime. So we are not in the government yet even in the opposition we have been thrown out because of bad manners, especially by those people who were elected in Parliament with Jubilee ticket,” Kioni asserted.

He went on: “We are saying that our revolution has started because as a block with almost eight million votes, we have lost our voice and hope in this regime. We start our revolutionary path on Friday which is our homegrown way of maandamano.”

The former Ndaragwa MP dismissed claims that the meeting will declare a presidential candidate to face off with Ruto in 2027, emphasizing that the agenda will be to push back at the government over policies negatively affecting the people.

Terming the meeting as an ethnic regrouping, National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah dismissed the organisers as a coalition of election users yet to come to terms with the results of the 2022 polls. “I am not a believer of ethnic mobilization, I think it is backward and out of tune with the current time. I would never attend any meeting based on regional or ethnic mobilization.”