This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
On July 8, 2020, a meeting of key leaders from the Mt Kenya region, led by National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, took place at the Panafric hotel, exposing behind-the-scenes intrigues that could lay the ground for debate on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) final report and President Uhuru Kenyatta's 2022 succession politics.
The four-hour meeting was attended by four governors from President Uhuru Kenyatta's backyard, including Kiraitu Murungi (Meru), Ndiritu Muriithi (Laikipia), Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru), and Muthomi Njoki (Tharaka Nithi), as well as National Assembly Majority Leader Amos Kimunya, former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth, and Kirinyaga Senator Charles Kibiru.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Murungi downplayed the significance of the gathering, stating that it was merely a 'political lunch' to congratulate Kimunya on his recent appointment as Majority leader.
However, the leaders' attendance and their close ties to President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM boss Raila Odinga suggest that the meeting may have been more than just a social gathering. The leaders are proponents of the handshake between the President and Raila Odinga and have been considered as the head of state's key point men in the region to spearhead the BBI agenda.
As the BBI agenda and 2022 succession politics continue to dominate the national discourse, the meeting between Muturi and the Mt Kenya pro-BBI leaders has sparked speculation about the region's role in the upcoming elections.
