Monday 31st August, 2026 10:10 AM|
Presidential adviser Dennis Itumbi has urged residents of Kirinyaga County to forge a distinct political identity centred on their development priorities rather than being defined by wider Mt Kenya political rhetoric.
Itumbi said Kirinyaga should organise around issues affecting its residents and use its collective voice to influence politicians and government on matters including agriculture, roads and public appointments.
“We are neither west nor east, we are Kirinyaga,” Itumbi said.
He challenged residents to move away from political slogans and instead develop a clear development agenda that politicians would be required to embrace.
“We are not following slogans. We don’t want to slogania our way into development. We want to compile our own development,” he said.
Rice farming takes priority
While speaking on Monday, August 31, 2026, Itumbi identified rice farming as one of Kirinyaga’s most important economic activities, saying the county should seek to transform the sector into a continental success story.
“Rice farming is the biggest. We want to turn it into the biggest in Africa, not only the biggest in Kenya,” he said.
He also raised concerns over the county’s road network and population, arguing that Kirinyaga carries a heavier population burden per kilometre of road compared with neighbouring Nyeri.
“Every kilometer serves 1,000 people. In Kirinyaga, 1 kilometer of road serves 5,000 people,” Itumbi said.
He described the disparity as an issue resident should collectively seek to address through their development agenda.
Push for local appointments
Itumbi also called for highly qualified professionals from Kirinyaga to be considered for government appointments.
“When you look at government appointments, we have very highly qualified and intelligent people of Kirinyaga. It is those people we want them to get into it,” he said.
He said the initiative should not be viewed purely as a political undertaking, arguing that residents should come together and present their priorities to leaders.
“We don’t come as politicians. We come as Kirinyaga, neutral to the table for us our issues to be addressed,” he said.
Voters to shape politics
Itumbi said Kirinyaga residents should reverse the traditional political model in which politicians determine the agenda presented to voters.
“We want to change the game of politics. It is not politicians telling us what they want to do; it is us telling them what we feel we need,” he said.
He argued that politicians should then align themselves with the priorities identified by residents.
Karua shapes 2027 debate
Itumbi also invoked former Chief Justice Martha Karua while arguing that Kirinyaga had not sufficiently organised itself politically around its interests.
“As we speak now, the Honourable Martha Karua would be the president of the Republic of Kenya,” he said.
He urged residents to organise ahead of the 2027 General Election and determine the county’s political direction rather than leaving that decision to political leaders.
“The politics of 2027, we are going to determine it as the people of Kirinyaga, not the politicians of Kirinyaga,” Itumbi said.
He criticised the familiar practice of politicians mobilising around party slogans and affiliations, saying Kirinyaga needed a new political narrative centred on its own interests.
“Hiyo game ya kila wakati watu wanajipanga pale, wanashawouth ‘Chama’, wanapanga pale wanashawouth ‘Chama’ is what we want to change and create a new narrative for Kirinyaga,” he said.
