Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has rejected claims that he was deployed by President William Ruto to create political divisions within the Mt. Kenya region, saying his recent remarks are intended to highlight long-standing development gaps affecting parts of the area.
Speaking during an interview, Ruku dismissed accusations from allies of Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua that he had been assigned to split the region politically.
Instead, he maintained that his focus is on addressing unequal development and ensuring neglected areas receive greater attention.
“I’ve not been sent by anybody to split the mountain, and I’m not splitting the mountain. I’m just speaking the realities of the mountain,” Ruku said.
The Cabinet Secretary also criticised the former Deputy President’s style of politics, arguing that it had created unnecessary divisions instead of addressing the needs of residents.
“Gachagua is politically arrogant. And I’ve come out to tell him that his political arrogance has to stop, because we have unique challenges within the Mt. Kenya region,” he said.
Ruku argued that although the region has consistently supported successive governments since independence, development has not been evenly distributed.
He pointed to road infrastructure as an example, saying some counties continue to lag behind despite their political backing.
“Mount Kenya West has 77.7 percent of all the tarmac roads in the Mt. Kenya region, whereas the other side of the mountain has 22.7 percent,” he said.
Drawing from his experience as a former legislator, Ruku said his constituency had only 37 kilometres of tarmac roads spread across 871 square kilometres when he first entered Parliament in 2002.
He cited the example as evidence of the development imbalance affecting the eastern side of the region.
He identified Meru, Isiolo, Tharaka-Nithi, Embu and Kirinyaga as counties facing unique challenges that require tailored political engagement and development strategies.
“It’s not about which counties on this side or the other side. It’s that we have unique challenges which must be solved and negotiated differently, politically, for those challenges to be solved by an administration,” he said.
According to the Cabinet Secretary, the current administration has already initiated projects aimed at reducing the disparity through investments in roads, markets, electricity, water supply and last-mile connectivity, adding that some of the programmes are being implemented for the first time since independence.
Responding to claims that the Mt. Kenya region has one political leader, Ruku acknowledged the community’s shared identity but disputed the suggestion that it speaks with one voice.
He argued that Rigathi Gachagua enjoys support in sections of the region rather than across the entire bloc.
“He has managed to convince quite a substantial population of Mt. Kenya West, but not the entire Mt. Kenya region,” he said, adding that Gachagua had “managed to some extent to weaponise ethnic politics” and appeal to ethnic emotions in parts of the region.
The remarks add to the growing political debate over the future direction of the Mt. Kenya region as leaders continue to compete for influence ahead of the next General Election.
