Mt Kenya East elders endorse Ruto’s re-election, back Kindiki as future leader amid calls to heal GEMA rift

NAIROBI,Kenya, Aug 15- Mt Kenya East elders have thrown their weight behind President William Ruto’s re-election bid while backing Deputy President Kithure Kindiki’s political future, even as they called for reconciliation between the region’s eastern and western blocs. The elders’ position, delivered during a solemn assembly in Nembure, Manyatta Constituency, Embu County, on Saturday, comes amid growing political tensions within the wider Mt Kenya region and renewed rivalry between Kindiki and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Kindiki used the gathering to urge Mt Kenya leaders to avoid deepening divisions, saying the region’s political future should be guided by its traditional councils of elders.

He also defended the decision to retain the Deputy President’s position within Mt Kenya after Gachagua’s removal from office, arguing that the position belonged to the community rather than an individual. “This position of Deputy President is not my personal position, and it was not also for Rigathi personally. It was and it is for the community,” Kindiki said.

He said Mt Kenya East should not turn against Mt Kenya West over political disagreements, urging elders from the two regions to initiate dialogue and restore unity. “I plead with you, respectfully, to stop blaming our brothers and sisters from Mount Kenya West because there is no vote that has been cast and they have refused to vote for us,” he said. Kindiki said the Kikuyu, Embu and Meru communities had historically acted as one political and cultural bloc, dating back to the struggle for independence.

He recalled the political support given to former presidents Jomo Kenyatta, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta by the wider GEMA community, saying the region had historically rallied behind leaders from within its ranks. Kindiki said the same principle should guide the current political arrangement, arguing that Mt Kenya East had a responsibility to safeguard the Deputy President’s position. He further urged leaders in the region to give elders time to negotiate with their counterparts from Mt Kenya West rather than rushing to make political decisions “I have faith that these elders will unite all the communities in Mount Kenya,” he said.The Deputy President, however, sharply criticised Gachagua, accusing him of disrespecting fellow leaders and warning that he would face a political confrontation in th…