Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has pledged to work with elders from the wider Mt Kenya region to preserve unity, promote peaceful politics and advance the area’s economic interests, as traditional leaders moved to consolidate the region around a common voice.
Speaking at the Solemn Assembly of Mt Kenya Elders at Kirigiti Stadium in Kiambu County, Prof Kindiki said the gathering carried historical significance, recalling that the venue was associated with the late founding President Jomo Kenyatta and elders from the Gikuyu, Embu, Mbere and Meru communities.
The Deputy President said he considered himself privileged to have been invited to the same grounds where, according to the elders, the region had previously gathered around a common cause.
“I consider myself very fortunate because the elders who have been advising me told me that at this ground, many years ago, the founding President of Kenya, Mzee Kenyatta, was brought here by elders from across Mt Kenya,” Prof Kindiki said.
He said the elders’ historic message to Kenyatta had been to unite the communities of the mountain and, in turn, help unite the wider Kenyan nation.
The meeting brought together representatives of several councils of elders, including Njuri Ncheke, Kikuyu Council of Elders, Kiama Kia Ma, Kiama Kia Muembu, Ngome and Nyangi Ndiriri. A declaration issued at the gathering endorsed Prof Kindiki as the region’s spokesman and representative in advancing its interests and aspirations.
Prof Kindiki said he had listened to the elders’ instructions and would use his position in Government to advocate for the region while supporting President William Ruto in his efforts to unite the country.
“I have heard the instructions that I have been given by the elders and leaders of the different councils. I am a person who follows instructions,” he said.
He added: “You have told me to continue representing you in Government and to support the President in uniting Kenya and taking the country forward. You have also told me to represent Mt Kenya in Government so that we can also have our share of development.”
The Deputy President said his responsibilities extended beyond regional interests, insisting that the unity of the country remained central to his role.
He pledged to help President Ruto build a Kenya in which communities enjoy peace, cohesion and equitable development.
Prof Kindiki also urged Mt Kenya communities to resist attempts to divide them along political or geographical lines.
He said the relationship between the Gikuyu, Embu, Mbere and Meru communities predated the current generation and had been strengthened during the struggle for independence.
“We did not start this unity. We found our communities together. During the struggle for liberation, we were one community,” he said.
He cited successive political generations under Jomo Kenyatta, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta as examples of periods when the region remained politically diverse but maintained its broader social and economic ties.
The Deputy President said political competition should not be allowed to destroy relationships that had been built over generations.
“We cannot allow our community to be divided,” he said, warning that political differences should not be allowed to turn communities against one another.
His remarks came amid renewed efforts by elders to bridge political differences between sections of the wider Mt Kenya region. The Kirigiti gathering was presented as a forum for reaffirming unity among the communities of the mountain and rejecting attempts to split the region into rival blocs.
Prof Kindiki devoted a significant part of his address to the need for peaceful politics, warning politicians against mobilising young people to destroy property or engage in violence during periods of political competition.
He recalled the multiparty elections of 1992 and 1997, when prominent Mt Kenya politicians Kenneth Matiba and Mwai Kibaki competed for the presidency, saying their political rivalry did not translate into widespread destruction in the region.
He similarly referred to the 2002 presidential contest between Mr Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta.
“Do not use politics as an excuse to bring war and destruction of property,” Prof Kindiki said.
He said traders who had spent decades building businesses could not afford to lose their investments because of political disagreements.
The Deputy President urged elders to work with the Government in educating young people that political support should never involve destroying businesses, homes or other property.
“We cannot destroy our own investments in this region,” he said.
He called on elders to engage young people across the political divide and discourage them from blocking roads, attacking others or destroying property during political contests.
Prof Kindiki said the responsibility for preventing political violence should not be confined to Mt Kenya.
He proposed that elders from other regions, including Rift Valley, Western, Nyanza, Coast and North Eastern, should similarly be involved in efforts to promote peaceful political participation and strengthen national security.
“The issue of politicians using young people to bring violence must end,” he said.
The elders’ declaration at Kirigiti similarly called for peaceful political activity and warned that political divisions, stereotyping and ethnic differences could undermine social cohesion and economic wellbeing.
Prof Kindiki welcomed the elders’ intervention in resolving political differences within the region, saying their authority had succeeded where politicians had struggled.
He made an apparent reference to Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku, with whom he said he had disagreed over what he described as attempts to create divisions within the mountain.
“I tried, but I did not succeed. Where I failed, the elders have helped me succeed,” he said.
He congratulated the elders for what he described as their decision to end the politics of dividing the region.
The gathering was marked by cultural and reconciliation rituals, including the sharing of goats representing communities of the mountain and the symbolic return of an axe to the elders’ council. The gestures were presented as symbols of reconciliation and an end to calls for the region to be split.
Prof Kindiki said the elders had a broader responsibility beyond politics, including preservation of culture, mediation, reconciliation and guidance of younger generations.
He urged them to use that authority to address social problems facing the region, particularly alcohol and substance abuse.
The Deputy President said he had discussed the problem of alcohol abuse with several councils of elders and urged them to take a leading role in protecting young people from addiction.
He said politicians alone could not solve all the social challenges facing communities and that traditional institutions had an important role to play.
“Help us to end alcohol abuse. This alcohol is destroying our young people and our generations,” he told the elders.
Prof Kindiki pledged Government support for initiatives by elders aimed at strengthening community values, preventing violence and addressing social problems.
He said the Government was prepared to work with traditional leaders to improve security, arguing that stronger community structures could contribute to national stability.
The Deputy President also urged the elders to help restore cultural values that he said were coming under pressure from changing social trends.
He said the region needed to combine political participation with protection of its economic, cultural and social interests.
The Solemn Assembly came at a time of heightened political debate over the future leadership and political direction of Mt Kenya ahead of the 2027 General Election. Prof Kindiki has increasingly featured in efforts to bring together the eastern and western sections of the region.
The elders’ declaration formally described the Gikuyu, Ameru, Aembu and Ambeere communities as historically linked and committed them to preserving and strengthening that unity for present and future generations. It also endorsed Prof Kindiki as their spokesman and representative in advancing the region’s interests.
For Prof Kindiki, the Kirigiti gathering provided an opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to the elders’ call for unity while positioning his office as a bridge between the region and the national Government.
He said his priority would be to support efforts to unite Kenya, promote peace and ensure Mt Kenya continues to participate in national development.
“Let us continue with peace,” he told the elders, as he pledged to carry forward the responsibilities they had entrusted to him.
