The Mt Kenya region finds itself in unfamiliar territory, without a successor, with the eventual exit of President Uhuru Kenyatta from competitive politics upon the completion of his second term in 2022.
According to political observers, several leaders are lining up to take over the mantle and become the region’s spokesperson among them former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth, former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo, Cabinet Secretaries Mwangi Kiunjuri and Peter Munya.
These leaders, however, do not command a mass following and therefore face the challenge of galvanizing the entire region behind them in order to gather the needed political influence in national politics.
The search for an influential spokesperson has formed the basis of political debate in recent months with many stating that Uhuru’s replacement should emerge naturally and not be forced down people’s throat.
As the search for a successor gains momentum, some leaders from the region have also moved to deny the existence of a political deal between President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto that was to ensure the region supports Ruto’s 2022 presidential bid.
"If the DP has a MoU with Uhuru Kenyatta then that was an agreement between two individuals,” former Jubilee Vice Chairperson David Murathe said in a past event.
Murathe, together with a section of former MPs, are of the opinion that the region does not owe Ruto any debt noting that both the deputy president and the president shared the Jubilee government equally after the 2013 election win.
This talk, according to pundits, is aimed at scuttling any plans to give DP Ruto a direct Jubilee party ticket to vie in the 2022 presidential election, with reports emerging that the anti-Ruto section is hell-bent on fielding their own presidential candidate.
Politics, however, is a game of interests and it will be interesting to see which candidate the region will settle on to protect their interests beyond 2022.
Meanwhile, instead of waiting to be crowned heir, it is imperative that any leader from the region who is interested in taking over the baton starts expressing their ambitions and gathering the requisite support from the electorates, in order to have a say in 2022 political formations.
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