Is Mt Kenya East Drifting Away From The Larger Mountain Bloc?

By Kepher Otieno - Reporter

Kenya, 14 December 2025 - The Mt Kenya political landscape is entering a new and more complex phase, with leaders from Mt Kenya East openly threatening a political split that would redraw long-standing regional alignments.

The emerging posture reflects growing discomfort with the idea of a single “Mt Kenya basket” and underscores the region’s evolving political diversity, where rival camps allied to President William Ruto, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, and the Jubilee Party led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta are increasingly competing for influence.

At the centre of the latest tensions are leaders from Mt Kenya East who argue that the region has historically been marginalised under broader Mt Kenya political arrangements.

Speaking at a Sunday event in Kangaru, Embu County, Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Geoffrey Ruku warned residents against what he described as an organised effort to turn the region against President Ruto.

He accused former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua of orchestrating a “hate the President” narrative and attempting to rope Mt Kenya East into divisive politics that do not reflect its development priorities.

Ruku’s remarks point to a widening rift within the Mountain.

While Gachagua has sought to position himself as a key voice for Mt Kenya grievances following his fallout with the Kenya Kwanza administration, his message has not found uniform acceptance. In Mt Kenya East, leaders allied to the Ruto administration are increasingly asserting political independence, arguing that their region should not be treated as a mere appendage of Mt Kenya Central power dynamics.

The threat to split the Mountain into Mt Kenya East and Mt Kenya Central blocs is significant.

For decades, the strength of Mt Kenya politics has rested on its numerical unity and ability to bargain collectively at the national level.

A formal or informal fragmentation would weaken that leverage, but proponents argue that unity has come at a cost to eastern counties whose interests are often submerged under dominant central voices.

Ruku framed the debate as one of political self-determination, insisting that Mt Kenya East must “protect its own political and economic interests.”

He cited the rise of Deputy President Kithure Kindiki as proof that the region has sufficient national leadership capacity to chart its own path without reliance on external kingpins.

In this narrative, alignment with President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza coalition is portrayed as pragmatic and development-focused, especially on agriculture, where leaders credit the government with improving coffee and tea earnings.

Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire reinforced this stance, warning that Mt Kenya East would not hesitate to pursue an independent political course if pushed.

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Her remarks suggest that the region’s leadership is preparing its supporters psychologically for a post-“Mountain unity” era, where alliances are shaped more by perceived returns than by ethnic solidarity.

However, the Mt Kenya East–Ruto alliance is only one strand of a much broader and more fragmented political reality.

Gachagua retains a following, particularly among leaders and voters who feel alienated by his removal from government and who view his rhetoric as resistance against perceived betrayal by the current administration.

This faction continues to frame itself as the authentic defender of Mt Kenya interests against a state it accuses of sidelining the region.

Complicating matters further is the re-emergence of Jubilee under former President Uhuru Kenyatta as a relevant political force.

Though Uhuru is no longer in office, Jubilee’s legacy networks, particularly in parts of Mt Kenya Central and pockets of the East, cannot be ignored.

For some leaders and voters disillusioned with both Ruto and Gachagua, Jubilee offers an alternative political home anchored on nostalgia, party structures and residual loyalty to the former president.

The result is a three-way contest for the soul of Mt Kenya. There is a likelihood of mobilisation towards a pro-Ruto camp, emphasising stability and development, a Gachagua-aligned faction mobilising around grievance and resistance, and a Jubilee wing seeking revival under Uhuru’s shadow.

This pluralism challenges the long-held assumption that Mt Kenya speaks with one voice and votes as a bloc.

As the country moves toward the next electoral cycle, the Mt Kenya East leaders’ threat to “divide the Mountain” is less about geography and more about bargaining power.

It signals a willingness to walk away from inherited political scripts and renegotiate relevance within a rapidly changing national dispensation.

Whether this fragmentation strengthens local representation or dilutes Mt Kenya’s national influence remains an open question—but what is clear is that the era of unquestioned Mountain unity is increasingly under strain.