Mt Kenya East elders at Nembure in Embu.
The elders from Mt Kenya East who promised to back President William Ruto’s re-election have called for the hastening of the construction of a dual carriageway from Makutano through Embu, Chuka, Meru and Maua.
The road would be similar to the one President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government constructed in Mt Kenya West from Kenol to Marua in Nyeri.
The elders also urged their counterparts in Mt Kenya West to reciprocate decades of political support by backing Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and supporting his future presidential ambitions.
The elders made the call during an extraordinary and solemn assembly at Nembure grounds in Embu, where the Njuri Ncheke Supreme Council, Nyaangi Ndiriri, Kiama Kia Muembu, Ngome and Mwea councils of elders adopted a resolution seeking greater political unity across the wider Mt Kenya region.
The elders said the people of Mt Kenya East had for decades stood with leaders from Mt Kenya West.
They argued the support should now be reciprocated by backing Kindiki, whom they described as an opportunity for the region to consolidate its political influence.
“Political relationships are strengthened by mutual respect, reciprocity, solidarity and trust,” the elders said in their resolution.
They cited the support extended by Mt Kenya East to former leaders as part of the region’s history of political solidarity with leaders from Mt Kenya West.
The region, they maintained, had stood firmly with leaders from Mt Kenya West for decades, and the time had come for the West to reciprocate by backing Kindiki as DP and supporting his future ambition to become Kenya’s first president from Mt Kenya East.
“We collectively, as the people of Mt Kenya East, supported President Jomo Kenyatta for 15 years, Mwai Kibaki as Vice President for 12 years and later as President for 10 years, and later Uhuru Kenyatta as President for 10 years without question or division,” the group said.
“The people of Mt Kenya East also extended unconditional support and solidarity to Rigathi Gachagua for the two years he served as DP of the Republic of Kenya.”
The elders urged residents of Mt Kenya West, including those living in the diaspora, to recognise what they described as a historic moment and extend to Kindiki the same spirit of solidarity and brotherhood previously shown to leaders from the region.
The resolution also sought to give Kindiki a central role in political engagement involving the Mountain.
The elders resolved that anyone seeking to engage the people of Mt Kenya on political and other matters should do so through Kindiki, whom they recognised as the national leader through whom Mt Kenya East would engage on matters affecting the region’s political and development future.
They further mandated the councils to begin structured engagements with counterpart councils in Mt Kenya West, including Kiama Kia Ma, to forge a common position on issues affecting the wider region.
The proposed engagement is also expected to cover support for the re-election of President William Ruto and Kindiki.
The elders reaffirmed their support for Ruto’s administration and pledged to back his bid for a second term in the 2027 general election.
They also thanked Ruto for appointing 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.
Beyond politics, the elders also called for the construction of the Nithi Bridge, saying the projects would improve connectivity, road safety, movement of goods and people, and economic activity across Mt Kenya East.
The elders said their broader objective was to build a united, peaceful and economically empowered Mt Kenya region while maintaining engagement with communities across the country.
