Why Uhuru remains ultimate kingmaker in Mt Kenya region
Uhuru’s renewed visibility and public appearances have complicated efforts by other regional figures to claim undisputed leadership of the vote-rich region. Retired president’s endorsement to whichever presidential candidate is expected to be a major game-changer as his appeal and influence extends nationally and beyond.
Despite leaving office nearly four years ago, former President Uhuru Kenyatta retains unparalleled influence in the Mt Kenya region making it difficult for other politicians, including former deputy Rigathi Gachagua, to ignore him.
His continued engagement in active politics has ensured his remains visible amid claims by President William Ruto and his allies that he is the one sponsoring the opposition, which he denies.
While some see Uhuru as the ultimate regional kingmaker who commands deep-seated respect, others argue his local clout diminished after the 2022 transition.
However, his renewed visibility and public appearances have complicated efforts by other regional figures to claim undisputed leadership of the vote-rich region. He has thus continued to shape local political realignments and succession dynamics.
He has not spared opportunities to remind Mt Kenya voters that he warned them against voting for Ruto in 2022 as he had worked with him and knew his character but they ignored his advice and are now regretting after he abandoned his campaign promises urging them not to repeat the same mistake next year.
Recently, Gachagua, who is eying the presidency but faces a legal hurdle, stated that after the end of his 40-day consultations at his Wamunyoro home in Nyeri, he will sit down with Uhuru before deciding which political direction he will give to voters.
“Na nikimaliza hii mazungumzo yote mkinipatia maoni, kabla sijasema chochote, nitaenda nikae chini na rais Uhuru Kenyatta so that we compare notes. Ndio pia Uhuru anishauri, si ndio? Loosely translated (And when I finish this whole conversation and you give me your feedback, before I say anything, I will go and sit down with President Uhuru Kenyatta so that we compare notes. So that Uhuru can also advise me, right?” Gachagua said on July 11, 2026.
Gachagua’s move to mend fences with Uhuru came after months of an aggressive effort to rally the region behind him as he asked the former president to hand over the kingship mantle to him.
And while Gachagua has riled leaders from the Mt Kenya East bloc, including Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Uhuru has enjoys good relations with the Meru and Embu communities, which could attract support for a presidential candidate he rallies behind during next year’s State House contest.
Beyond Mt Kenya, Uhuru is also likely to influence voting patterns in other regions if he puts together a grand coalition that accommodates regional kingpins and other influential figures.
Despite mixed perceptions about his record, Uhuru retains the trust of many Kenyans, including among regions that supported ODM leader Raila Odinga such as Nyanza, Western, Nairobi, Lower Eastern and Coast, which both Ruto and opposition leaders are working hand to win over.
It will be interesting to see how candidates fielded by Uhuru’s Jubilee Party and Gachagua’s Democracy for Citizens Party will perform in the 2027 elections as it will determine who among the two will be the region’s undisputed kingpin.
While Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has also entered the supremacy race with the launch of the People’s Party of Kenya it is still too early to gauge his influence.
