UDA Youth League Tells Gachagua to Stop Forcing Himself on the Mountain

By Kepher Otieno - Reporter

Kenya, 6 December 2025 - A fresh political fault line is widening in the Mt Kenya region after the UDA Youth League launched a sharp, public offensive against former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, signaling an accelerating realignment ahead of the 2032 succession race.

During a press briefing in Embu on December 6, 2025, the youth faction declared Deputy President Kithure Kindiki the “legitimate regional spokesperson,” warning Gachagua to “stop masquerading” as Mt. Kenya’s political kingpin. Their remarks underscore a growing push within segments of the region’s political elite to redefine leadership after years of internal turmoil.

The catalyst for this latest escalation was the Mbeere North by-election, whose outcome the youth leaders framed as a symbolic referendum on Mt. Kenya’s political future.

Leonard Wa Muthende was backed by Kindiki and defeated Newton Kariuki Ndwiga alias Karish, Gachagua’s preferred candidate.

To the youth leaders, this was not just a local contest, but rather a strategic indicator.

“This was not just a by-election. It was a referendum on who Mt Kenya trusts to steer its political future… and they chose Prof Kithure Kindiki,” said Youth League chair Peterson Merichi.

Their argument reflects a deliberate effort to cast Kindiki’s influence as voter-driven and organic, contrasting it with what they described as Gachagua’s “self-declared” authority.

Mounting Pressure on Gachagua

The public reprimand of Gachagua marks an unusual moment in Mt. Kenya’s political culture, where succession battles often unfold quietly among elites.

In accusing him of creating “unnecessary division” and operating without “the people’s mandate,” the youth leaders amplified a narrative that has been gaining traction: that Gachagua’s political capital has eroded since his fallout with key UDA power brokers.

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With the by-election results offering a timely political data point, Kindiki’s supporters are seeking to consolidate momentum and recast him as the region’s stabilizing force.

The Youth League also highlighted UDA’s broader electoral performance, pointing to the party’s victory in 12 of 24 contested seats nationwide.

That, they said, is evidence of UDA’s continued grassroots strength and good reason to mobilise behind a single regional figure, "who is Prof Kindiki."

“He has proven himself a stabiliser and the principal leader of the region. The people have endorsed him,” Merichi said.

They said they are positioning Mt Kenya for influence in 2032’s succession politics.

In declaring their full backing for Kindiki, the youth leaders signaled that the region is entering a new era of political consolidation, where loyalty to UDA and alignment with its internal centres of power will be closely scrutinized.

“Tough statements must be made. Those advancing opposition agendas under UDA colors must return home, recommit, or honorably resign,” said Samuel Kinyua, reflecting an assertive posture aimed at enforcing political discipline.

The group also called for intensified youth participation, urging young people across Mt. Kenya to join UDA’s youth wing and champion a “policy-driven, future-oriented” movement—an attempt to frame their political advocacy as reformist rather than purely factional.

This comes a day after Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru told Gachagua to stop masquerading as the spokesperson of the people from Mt Kenya region because the role is under retired President Uhuru Kenyatta.