Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has launched a sharp political attack on former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and a section of Mount Kenya West leaders, accusing them of using Mount Kenya East as a political ladder while failing to address the region’s interests once in power.

Speaking after a church service in Igembe Central, Meru county, Ruku said communities in Mount Kenya East had for years been mobilized during election seasons, only to be sidelined after political power had been secured.

The Cabinet Secretary accused leaders allied to Gachagua of pushing what he described as a misleading narrative that development projects implemented in Mount Kenya West automatically benefit the entire Mount Kenya region.

“It cannot be that whenever projects are implemented in Mount Kenya West, there is a narrative being pushed by Gachagua and his allies that Mount Kenya East has equally benefited,” Ruku said.

His remarks come amid rising political tension within the broader central Kenya region, where competing camps are already positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 elections and beyond.

The debate has increasingly exposed differences between leaders from Mount Kenya East and Mount Kenya West over political representation, development priorities and the region’s place in president William Ruto’s administration.

Ruku maintained that Mount Kenya East, comprising Meru, Isiolo, Tharaka Nithi, Embu and Kirinyaga counties, must chart its own political and economic path rather than being treated as an appendage of Mount Kenya West.

He said the region remains firmly behind president Ruto and Deputy President Prof Kithure Kindiki, dismissing ongoing debate about the deputy presidency as premature and unnecessary.

According to Ruku, the DP’s position is currently occupied and succession discussions should wait until after 2032. He accused Gachagua, who now leads the Democracy for Citizens Party, DCP, of attempting to isolate Mount Kenya West politically from the rest of the country.

The CS insisted that Mount Kenya East would not be drawn into political formations built around grievance, regional isolation or confrontation with the national government.

Ruku also challenged what he termed as selective ownership of Kenya’s liberation history, arguing that the struggle for independence was a national effort involving communities from across the country. He said the Mau Mau movement should not be presented as the preserve of one region, adding that such narratives risk deepening divisions within Mount Kenya and the country at large.

The Cabinet Secretary further turned his criticism on opposition figures from Meru who previously served in senior government positions, accusing them of failing to use their offices to deliver meaningful development to the community.

He singled out former Cabinet Secretaries Peter Munya and Mithika Linturi, claiming they had not effectively championed Meru interests while in government. Ruku also faulted the two leaders for what he described as disrespect toward Deputy President Kindiki, whom he referred to as a senior elder within the Njuri Ncheke council of elders.

Ruku urged the Meru community and Kenyans at large to rally behind president Ruto’s second-term bid, saying the current administration had initiated visible development projects in infrastructure, economic empowerment and service delivery.

He argued that the government’s record compares favourably with previous administrations since independence, and called on wananchi to remain united behind the president’s development agenda.

However, the Cabinet Secretary’s defence of the administration’s record appeared to trigger fresh divisions within government ranks after Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira criticized him over the state of development in Mount Kenya East.

Wachira accused Ruku of overstating the government’s achievements in the region, signalling growing unease among leaders allied to the same administration over how development in Mount Kenya East is being framed and communicated to the public.

The exchange points to a widening political contest within Mount Kenya, where loyalty to the Ruto administration, allegiance to Gachagua and the rise of Kindiki as a key regional figure are reshaping local political alignments.

Ruku called on leaders to abandon divisive regional politics and focus on inclusive development, saying national unity remains critical to Kenya’s progress and prosperity.

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