More than 30,000 elders from Mt Kenya have thrown their weight behind Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, calling for greater political unity in the Mountain and urging Mt Kenya West to reciprocate decades of political support by backing his future presidential ambitions.
The elders, drawn from the Njuri Ncheke, Nyaangi Ndiriri, Kiama Kia Muembu, Ngome and Mwea councils, made the declaration during an extraordinary assembly at Nembure Grounds in Embu.
In a resolution adopted at the gathering, the elders said the people of Mt Kenya East had consistently supported political leaders from Mt Kenya West and that the time had come for the western side of the Mountain to reciprocate by supporting Prof Kindiki.
They described the Deputy President as a potential vehicle through which the region could consolidate its political influence and advance its interests at the national level.
“Political relationships are strengthened by mutual respect, reciprocity, solidarity and trust,” the elders said in their resolution.
They cited the region’s support for former presidents Jomo Kenyatta, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta, as well as former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, as evidence of what they termed a long tradition of political solidarity across the Mountain.
The elders said Mt Kenya East supported Mzee Kenyatta for 15 years, Mr Kibaki for 12 years as Vice-President and 10 years as President, and President Uhuru Kenyatta for 10 years.
They also said the region gave Mr Gachagua “unconditional support and solidarity” during his two years as Deputy President.
The elders now want Mt Kenya West to return the favour by backing Prof Kindiki, who they described as the first serious opportunity for Mt Kenya East to produce a President of Kenya.
They appealed to residents of Mt Kenya West, including those living in the diaspora, to recognise what they called a historic opportunity and extend to Prof Kindiki the same political solidarity previously accorded leaders from their region.
The declaration places the Deputy President at the centre of emerging succession politics in the Mountain, with the elders resolving that anyone seeking to engage the wider Mt Kenya community on political matters should do so through him.
They recognised Prof Kindiki as the national leader through whom Mt Kenya East would engage on matters concerning the region’s political and development future.
The councils were also mandated to begin structured consultations with their counterparts in Mt Kenya West, including Kiama Kia Ma, with the aim of developing a common position on issues affecting the wider Mountain region.
The consultations are expected to include discussions on support for President William Ruto’s re-election bid in the 2027 General Election and Prof Kindiki’s political future beyond the current administration.
The elders reaffirmed their support for the Kenya Kwanza administration and pledged to back President Ruto for a second term.
They also thanked the President for appointing Prof Kindiki as Deputy President, describing his elevation to the country’s second-highest office as an honour to Mt Kenya East and the wider Mountain region.
But the gathering was not solely about succession politics.
The elders asked the Government to accelerate major infrastructure projects that they said would unlock the economic potential of Mt Kenya East and improve connectivity with the rest of the country.
Among their key demands is the construction of a dual carriageway linking Makutano, Embu, Chuka, Meru and Maua.
They also called for construction of the Nithi Bridge, saying the projects would improve road safety, ease movement of people and goods and stimulate trade and investment across the region.
The elders said their ultimate objective was to build a politically united, peaceful and economically empowered Mt Kenya while maintaining constructive relations with communities across the country.
The Nembure declaration could, however, inject a new dimension into the region’s increasingly competitive 2027 political calculations, particularly as rival factions seek to shape the Mountain’s preferred leadership and bargaining position ahead of the next General Election.
For Mt Kenya East, the elders’ endorsement marks a direct attempt to elevate Prof Kindiki from Deputy President to a potential presidential contender and to forge a broader political pact across the Mountain.
The appeal to Mt Kenya West is equally significant: that decades of political solidarity should now translate into reciprocal support for a leader from the eastern side of the region.
