This archive report was first published on 16 November 2019.
On November 16, 2019, Mt Kenya Council of Elders threw its weight behind William Ruto's presidential bid, urging him to choose Mwangi Kiunjuri as his running mate.
The council's chairman, Paul Mwati, praised Kiunjuri's career and experience in politics, noting that he had joined active politics in 1997 as a Member of Parliament for Laikipia East at the age of 30.
‘Kiunjuri is no doubt a career and seasoned politician who has made a name on Kenya’s political landscape as a fearless and candid speaking political leader,’ Mwati said.
Mwati also advised President Uhuru Kenyatta to begin grooming a spokesman for Mt Kenya communities, suggesting that Kiunjuri was the ideal candidate for the role.
He warned that if the president failed to pick a spokesman for the communities in Mt Kenya region at the right time, there was a likelihood he might leave them as political orphans upon his retirement after the 2022 transitional election cycle.
