A section of Kikuyu Elders from Kirinyaga County have rejected attempts to divide the wider Mt Kenya region into East and West political blocs, saying such efforts risk creating unnecessary divisions for selfish political gain.
The elders, drawn from Kiama Kia Ma, further dismissed last weeks’s meeting by another faction of elders from the Njuri Ncheke Supreme Council, Nyaangi Ndiriri, Kiama Kia Muembu, Ngome and Mwea Council of Elders which appeared to support the separation.
They said that the county was firmly in support of a united Mt. Kenya region and therefore should not be used to further separation debate being advanced by a section of leaders from Mt. Kenya.
The elders said that Kirinyaga remains firmly part of the wider Mt Kenya region and dismissed attempts to politically classify parts of the county, including Mwea and Gichugu, as belonging to a separate Mt Kenya East bloc without the consent of residents.
Speaking on the issue, Chief Elder Muriithi Warutere said residents were unhappy with leaders making political declarations on their behalf without a mandate from the people.
“We are very angry that there are leaders who aren’t even from Kirinyaga making absurd proclamations that parts of Kirinyaga should be and will be part of Mt Kenya East,” Warutere said.
He said Kirinyaga residents have elected leaders who have the mandate to represent their interests and warned against using the county or the wider Mt Kenya region as political instruments.
“We as elders and the people of Kirinyaga stand firm in denying this. We refuse to be included in someone who is seeking a political lifeline using us. We are part of one region, Mt Kenya, and we speak in one voice,” he said.
The elders’ position comes amid an increasingly heated debate over the political identity of the Mt Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election, with some leaders advocating for the region to chart separate political paths as Mt Kenya East and Mt Kenya West.
John Gathungu, another elder, said political pronouncements could not redefine Kirinyaga’s identity or determine who should speak for its residents.
“We want to tell those people trying to classify us as Mt Kenya East that Kirinyaga starts from River Sagana to River Rupingazi. They have no authority to speak on our behalf on matters politics,” Gathungu said.
He said Kirinyaga had elected leaders from the Governor to Members of Parliament and MCAs to represent its residents, adding that political decisions affecting the county should not be made by individuals without a mandate from the people.
Gathungu also rejected the proposed political separation of Mt Kenya into East and West blocs, saying the communities of the region have a long history of working together.
“On matters Mt Kenya East and West, we as elders want to remind them that our ancestors brought Gikuyu, Embu and Meru together to form GEMA, and that is what we the people from Mt Kenya recognize. We are one people and we won’t be divided for some people to gain politically and individually,” he said.
While the elders said they respected and maintained cordial relations with their neighbours in Embu and Mbeere, they insisted that such ties should not be used to politically reclassify Kirinyaga or determine its political direction. “We love our neighbours from Embu and Mbeere, but we are Kirinyaga and we are all one people and won’t accept to be divided,” noted Chief Elder Warutere.
Waweru Mugo, an elder from Mwea, said the proposed division of Mt Kenya region was being driven by political interests rather than the needs of residents urging leaders to stop using Kirinyaga and the wider Mt Kenya region as political pawns.
