The raid on Kiambu governor Kimani Wamatangi’s residence and arrest by ant-graft detectives is once again causing a political storm in Mt Kenya region amid claims of the government targeting governors perceived not to be toeing the line.

Questions have emerged on why detectives pursuing a case involving procurement irregularities should target senior officers while not getting concerned with officers dealing with procurement.

The anti-corruption agency is also yet to come clear on whether their focus is on the Sh230 million tender award to a company or Sh1.5 billion corruption probe involving fraudulent procurement and fictitious payments.

As the governor was being questioned by detectives from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), reports indicated that his Murang’a counterpart Irungu Kang’ata had received a phone call from an influential government personality warning him to either “toe the line or risk becoming the next on the chopping board.”

Wamatangi (left) and Kang’ata have reportedly not been dancing to the Kenya Kwanza tunes and have been viewed as oscillating towards former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, an association they have separately denied.

Coming barely days after all the nine MPs from Kiambu perceived to be friendly to the government were allegedly summoned to State House to explain booing and heckling incidents that marred President William Ruto’s visit two week ago, speculations are now rife about political arm-twisting.

On Saturday evening of April 5, 2025, President Ruto is said to have summoned MPs from the county.  Deliberately left out of the list were George Koimburi (Juja), Gathoni Wamuchomba (Githunguri) and Karungo wa Thang’wa who are said to be apologists of immediate former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

One of the MPs who attended the meeting told People Daily the agenda of the meeting is said to have dwelt on why the MPs failed to utilise the resources given to them well ahead of Ruto’s visit to stop the heckling and booing that ensued during public rallies at Kwaregi polytechnic and Gatamayo in Lari and in Githunguri town. “The President was very furious over the events that happened during his tour and wanted to get to the bottom of everything. That is when the name of the governor was dragged in and associated with heckling,” said the MP.

During the President’s tour, matters are said to have first gotten out of hand at Kwaregi when Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Kimani Ichung’wah was shouted down when he was called upon to speak.

Subsequent speakers, including Information, Communications and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo were heckled with only Wamatangi receiving a standing ovation when he was called upon to address the crowd.

This hostility from the crowd forced the President to leave out the MPs from addressing subsequent meetings at Gatamayo and Githunguri with the lawmakers blaming the heckling on the governor.