Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Human Capital Development and Special Programmes Geoffrey Ruku has said Mount Kenya East could pursue its own political direction ahead of the 2027 General Election if former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua continues what he described as divisive politics that fail to address the region's development priorities.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Monday, Ruku rejected claims that he had been tasked with splitting the politically influential Mount Kenya region, saying his focus was on drawing attention to development gaps that have affected counties in the eastern part of the region for decades.
His remarks come at a time when political rivalry between President William Ruto's allies and Gachagua continues to shape debate over the future of Mount Kenya politics ahead of the next General Election.
"I've not been sent by anybody to split the mountain, and I'm not splitting the mountain. I'm just speaking the realities of the mountain," Ruku said.
The Cabinet Secretary said Gachagua's style of politics was creating unnecessary divisions instead of bringing leaders together to address the region's needs.
"Gachagua is politically arrogant. He's very arrogant, politically speaking, and I've come out to tell him that his political arrogance has to stop because we have unique challenges within Mount Kenya region," he said.
Ruku argued that although communities from Mount Kenya have consistently supported governments since independence, parts of the region have continued to experience slower development than others. He pointed to Meru, Embu, Tharaka Nithi and parts of Isiolo as areas that have long faced challenges in road infrastructure, water access and electricity connectivity.
"When I was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2002, the constituency I was representing then had only 37 kilometres of tarmac," he said.
He said those disparities justified a different political approach that would allow leaders from Mount Kenya East to negotiate solutions based on the specific needs of their counties.
According to Ruku, the Kenya Kwanza administration is already implementing major projects in the area, including road construction, markets, affordable housing, water programmes and last-mile electricity connectivity.
"It is not about which counties are on one side or the other. We have unique challenges which must be solved and negotiated differently politically," he said.
The Cabinet Secretary also accused Gachagua of using ethnic identity to advance his political agenda.
"He has managed to weaponize ethnicity politics. He has managed to appease emotional, or what I may call ethnic emotions, within some section of the mountain," Ruku said.
He further criticised remarks he claimed Gachagua made during a recent visit to Embu, saying they belittled communities from Meru, Embu and Tharaka Nithi.
"I was shocked to hear him speak in Embu... where he referred to Embus and Merus and people from Tharaka Nithi as wives to Kikuyus. It is so demeaning," Ruku said.
Ruku said leaders should instead promote unity among the different communities that make up the Mount Kenya region and recognise the contribution of freedom fighters from Meru, Embu and neighbouring counties.
"We are one people. We fought for independence together," he said.
He also dismissed claims that President William Ruto had lost political support in the region, arguing that recent by-election victories by Kenya Kwanza-backed candidates showed the government's backing in Mount Kenya remained strong.