This archive report was first published on 12 December 2019.
Uhuru's Sagana Meeting Leaves Mt Kenya More Divided ¶
On December 12, 2019, a meeting hosted by Uhuru Kenyatta at Sagana State Lodge aimed to calm rising political temperatures over his successor, but it left the Mt Kenya region more divided than before.
The meeting, attended by over 4,000 leaders from the Mt Kenya region, Nakuru, Lamu, Eldoret, Kajiado, and Nairobi, was geared towards uniting the region to shun premature 2022 presidential campaigns launched by William Ruto.
However, instead of uniting the region, the meeting left leaders deeply divided, with those backing the deputy president for the presidency in 2022 vowing to soldier on, while those backing the handshake between Uhuru and Raila Odinga vowed to use all resources at their disposal to ensure the Building Bridges Initiative was approved by citizens.
Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri, a diehard supporter of Ruto, alleged that the meeting was organized by Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho on behalf of the Kieleweke group, which is opposed to Ruto succeeding Uhuru, to intimidate the Tangatanga brigade.
Ngunjiri further alleged that people marshalling guests in the tents were goons from Nairobi, who ensured MPs backing the deputy president did not access the VIP tent.
The sharp divisions between Tangatanga and Kieleweke were brought to the fore by Nyeri Town MP Wambugu Ngunjiri, who accused Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria of planning to lead a revolution against the head of state.
Kuria, however, denied the allegations, stating that the meeting fell short of expectations and that many of the things discussed were a repetition of past addresses.
