Make no mistake, Kenya’s problem is not leaders retreating into tribal cocoons.
That, sadly, remains the default setting of our politics. The real danger lies in those who dress up ethnic realignment as a principled stand.
Yesterday’s announcement by Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata that he will not defend his seat on a UDA ticket in 2027 has triggered fresh excitement in Rigathi Gachagua’s camp. The impeached former Deputy President, who only weeks ago issued a public ultimatum threatening to “chase away” Kang’ata unless he joins DCP, is steadily consolidating Mt Kenya under the banner of bitterness.
This is dangerously familiar.
In 2022, Kenyans, particularly in Mt Kenya, rode the wave of “anything but Uhuru/Raila.” Serious questions about William Ruto’s past and record were conveniently brushed aside in the euphoria of change. The result is what we live with today.
Now, those warming up to Gachagua’s DCP on the simplistic platform of “anything but Ruto” are sleepwalking into the exact same error.
Gachagua presents himself as the new saviour and defender of Mt Kenya. Yet his movement is driven more by personal fallout with Ruto than by any coherent ideological or developmental agenda. He attacks fellow Kikuyus who refuse to align with him, branding them traitors, while suddenly defending Uhuru Kenyatta, the same man he viciously abused in 2022.
Those who started protesting in 2024 must not buy into these convenient rebrands without context. Sloganeering, threats, and ethnic mobilisation cannot replace rigorous interrogation of character, record, and consistency.
If Kenya fails to look beyond “Wantam” rhetoric and party certificates, we will continue recycling the same poor leadership under different names and new slogans.
Mt Kenya, and indeed all Kenyans, must demand more. Leaders must be judged by what they have delivered, not by how loudly they oppose the current regime or how fiercely they wave the tribal flag.
The con is familiar. The stakes are too high to repeat the same costly mistake.
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