This archive report was first published on 9 July 2020.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's grip on Mt Kenya remains firm, according to Murang'a Senator Irungu Kang'ata. Speaking after a meeting of prominent leaders from the region at Panafric Hotel in Nairobi, Senator Kang'ata hinted that Uhuru would not be replaced by anyone while he was still in power.
"No meeting in any hotel or stadium can plot successfully to replace Our KINGPIN in Mt. Kenya. Mundu ndagayagwo e muoyo! A man's property cannot be inherited while he is still alive," Senator Kang'ata said in a tweet that has since been deleted.
The meeting, which was attended by governors Kiraitu Murungi, Mithomi Njuki, Ndiritu Muriithi, Lee Kinyanjui, and Peter Kenneth, among others, was seen by some as an attempt by Uhuru allies to seal off and cut to size the political influence of Deputy President William Ruto, who has been making inroads in the region in a bid to popularise his presidential ambitions in 2022.
Uhuru has been unleashing a political clampdown on allies of Ruto who were perceived as errant members, with Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen and Garissa Township MP Aden Duale being ousted as Senate and National Assembly majority leaders respectively.
