It has emerged that President Uhuru Kenyatta's meeting with Mt Kenya politicians on Friday has largely shaken the region, especially among politicians allied to his deputy William Ruto.
In the meeting held at the Sagana State Lodge on Friday, Uhuru urged the politicians to support him in both his calls for unity and development and the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
The Standard has established that the meeting shook the ground, sending Ruto's allies back to the drawing board and resulting in another meeting immediately after the event.
It's said that the 15 politicians met at Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua's village home in Ngorano, where it discussed the humiliation they were treated to during the meeting.
They included John Kiarie (Dagoretti South), Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu), Moses Kuria (Gatundu South), Mary Wamaua (Maragua) and Beatrice Nkatha (Tharaka Nithi).
Others were Rahab Mukami (Nyeri), Catherine Waruguru (Laikipia), Susan Kihika (Nakuru Senator), Kimani Ngunjiri (Bahati) and Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara.
The politicians found it embarrassing that they were ignored on matters addressing the meeting, with the event planners even going for former politicians and leaving them out.
Gachagua said that he expected that a good number of leaders would be allowed to speak in a bid to bring the region's problems out in the open, which was not the case.
"Instead, these leaders were not given a chance to speak. Muranga Woman Rep Sabina Chege was given the opportunity but she was not forceful enough in articulating our issues,” he said.
In the meeting, it was reportedly proposed that the team hits back by popularizing a rejection of the BBI in the region, before Uhuru's tour of the region which is expected to begin with Meru.
However, Igembe Central MP James Mithika warned that such will easily backfire on the group since Uhuru has indicated that he wants changes which will better the lives of Kenyans.
“How would one convince voters that the President is wrong in pursuing a push for equality of the vote when we have constituencies that have a population of over 200,000 people much more than the vote in some entire counties?” he told the paper.
Gachagua was among the most embarrassed, as Uhuru only gave him a simple handshake when he departed from his chopper, but gave area governor Mutahi Kahiga a hearty one.