This archive report was first published on 12 September 2021.
With less than 11 months to go before Kenyans vote in the 2022 general election, the Mount Kenya region has emerged as a crucial battleground for presidential aspirants. The region's voters are being wooed by various candidates, particularly from the Mount Kenya region.
President Daniel arap Moi once described seductive politics as making unrealistic promises to a woman only to abandon her once she agrees; mambo kwisha. This phenomenon is evident in the Mount Kenya region, where voters are being made to accept that they are there for external political seduction.
The elite among the voters in the mountain are unsure and vulnerable to seduction, facing three political realities. Firstly, their demographic advantage is slipping fast, as evidenced by the number of empty schools in the region. Secondly, they seemingly subscribe to the crab philosophy of pulling each other down. Thirdly, the mountain people need clear and advanced thinking in terms of social-cultural and political self-defence to counter persistently combined but subtle anti-mountain hostility.
The mountain people appear confused, dazzled by many external suitors and worried they might be left hanging; used and dumped. Scared of the political unknowns, they are engaging in assorted schemes to join and cheer competing external suitors. Several would-be internal suitors have appeared but struggle to be noticed.
The 'leaders' appear desperate and unstable, shifting to and from rival Raila Odinga and William Ruto political camps, depending on what the 'ground' is. For a while, it looked as if they could find an alternative in Justin Muturi, Speaker of the National Assembly. However, stiff internal resistance to the Muturi alternative from other aspiring 'leaders' of the mountain has hindered its progress.
The mountain's would-be leaders are a curious and entertaining lot but tend to fall along the way because they lack the excitement that external political seducers generate. They include Mwangi Kiunjuri of Laikipia, Mwangi wa Iria and Jimmy Wanjigi of Murang'a, and Peter Munya of Meru. Munya was among the first to reject the idea of Muturi leadership.
