Uhuru,Gachagua,who will be the Mt Kenya kingpin in 2027?
By IP Reporter
NAIROBI
In the never-ending question of who exactly is the king of Mt. Kenya, former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy Opposition Leader Rigathi Gachagua have plunged back into a bruising contest .
This contest is filled with political chest-thumping, wry humour and a growing crowd of confused spectators.
Somewhere in the shadows stands Interior CS Kithure Kindiki — the so-called “deity of the mountain” — now looking like a man caught between two political gods throwing thunderbolts over his head.
For months, the Mt Kenya throne has looked like a seat with no cushions and perhaps no legs.
In what many insiders cheekily call “Round One,” Uhuru appears to have landed the first punch.
The former president has quietly scooped back bloggers, influencers and regional opinion-makers who once sang love songs for Gachagua.
Many of them have now crossed the digital river, offering praise for Uhuru with renewed loyalty.
Those still in Gachagua’s corner have turned whisper-quiet or suddenly “neutral,” a political term meaning “I need to pay rent.”
At the heart of Uhuru’s strategy is his promotion of former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, a figure he seems to be polishing for a return to relevance and possibly as a political spear pointed straight at Gachagua’s mountain fortress.
Insiders joke that Uhuru is “collecting political talent like vintage wines,” and Matiang’i is one bottle he’s not letting go.
Gachagua, however, has not retreated. He has assembled what he calls a united opposition machine, painting himself as the one true guardian of the mountain’s interests.
His alliance with Kalonzo Musyoka and other national figures is his attempt to show he can command not just the ridges but the nation.
He insists — loudly — that the mountain is behind him. Whether the mountain agrees is another question entirely.
The most fascinating character in this unfolding drama may be CS Kithure Kindiki, the man some Mt. Kenya elders once dubbed a “deity of reason” for his calmness and methodical leadership.
Today, however, Kindiki looks like a deity at the brink — watching the two economic titans, Uhuru and Gachagua, turn the region into an Olympic arena.
Every time the political atmosphere heats up, Kindiki appears somewhere issuing a firm government directive, as if reminding the country, politely, “Please don’t forget I still exist.”
In a mountain where political storms move faster than afternoon rain, his silence has become both strategic and suspicious. Some ask whether he’s biding his time. Others think he’s calculating.
Many believe he’s simply trying not to be struck by the political lightning flying between the two giants.
The bigger question remains: Who will be crowned King of the Mountain?
Uhuru boasts legacy, networks and a revived influence apparatus.
Gachagua commands populist energy and a growing opposition megaphone.
Kindiki, meanwhile, is the quiet third force — the deity who might one day descend from the clouds or disappear entirely.
As Mt. Kenya heads into yet another season of political theatre, one thing is clear:
The battle for regional kingship is no longer a duel — it’s a full-blown sitcom.
