KAIKAI'S KICKER – Hello Mt. Kenya, please don’t downgrade

On my kicker tonight, a ridiculous conversation has been going on in Mt.Kenya; a conversation that thankfully or is it hopefully, revolves around a small section of elected politicians from the region. You must have heard of calls to split Mt.Kenya into two distinct blocks – Mt Kenya east and Mt.Kenya West.

Just a brief background, the scramble for the Mbeere north parliamentary seat in the recent by-election occasioned a bitter contest between supporters of President William Ruto’s governing UDA party and supporters of impeached former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

UDA campaigns were led by DP Kindiki Kithure who hails from the eastern side of Mt.Kenya, while Gachagua whom he replaced as DP hailed from Nyeri in the western side of Mt.Kenya.

And just like that, the Mbeere by-election became a Kindiki versus Gachagua; Mt. Kenya East versus Mt. Kenya west duel. But trouble is, it doesn’t seem to end there.

Fellow Kenyans, this is new to me. I know we have had ethnic problems in this country including deadly tribal clashes. Infact there were some in Angata Barrikoi two days ago in my sub-county of Trans Mara.

I have never in my life heard of tension let alone clashes between the Kikuyu of Mt. Kenya west and CS Ruku’s Mbeere tribe of Mt.Kenya East!

I mean, is it really that bad between the so-called east and west of Mt Kenya? Is Ruku real? Is there bad blood between the Mbeere and Kikuyu? Does CS Ruku represent the true feelings of the Mbeere in relation to their kikuyu neighbours? I am eager to learn more.

Ok, so is that all it’s about? If my geography is not wrong, president Kibaki’s presidency was largely run from Mt Kenya east most of the time… but I digress... Away from the Mt Kenya east and the west of Mt Kenya; there is the south – that is Kiambu county. A few months ago, it was the turn of some leaders from Kiambu get something off their chests; they were tired of Mt Kenya!

So, from Mbeere to Kiambu – is Mt Kenya getting tired of Mt Kenya? How ridiculous does that sound, even if it is just for politics? Hata kama ni siasa, I don’t think Mt Kenya – whether east or west, north or south should self-destruct.

As a region that attained political consciousness ahead of the rest, Mt Kenya cannot avoid the burden and power of example. What that means on the ground in Mt.Kenya is simply this; CS Geoffrey Ruku must sound like he shares at least a geographic if not ethnic lineage with late former CS Jeremiah Nyagah.