Rifts emerge as political alliances in Nakuru face Damacus moment

The 2013 political pact between Kalenjin and Kikuyu communities in Nakuru County faces a litmus test due to escalating spats between leaders from both sides, particularly in the lead-up to the 2027 General Election.

Governor Susan Kihika is at the centre of the political interests intrigues.

Observers note that as Kenya’s political landscape shifts, the governor is on unstable ground, especially after the Kalenjin community re-evaluated her performance following their support in 2022.

The impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, has led the Mt Kenya region commutinties to re-think their support of President William Ruto’s government.

Nakuru County, known for its large Kikuyu population and cosmopolitan nature, traditionally aligns with the Mt Kenya region.

Political analysts suggest that Kihika is uneasy about informal Kalenjin community meetings that review her stewardship and consider forming new political links with other communities.

Kihika, from the Kikuyu community, chose David Kones as her running mate in the last election, in an agreement aimed at shared political progress.

Last week, she strongly criticised Kalenjin community leaders who held a meeting in Rongai constituency, calling them “tribalists with a sinister motive.”

While speaking in Mwariki, Nakuru Town West constituency, Kihika questioned why the community members held a night meeting in such a diverse county and why senators such as Aaron Cheruiyot and other Nakuru MPs attended, claiming their actions threaten regional peace.

Her comments sparked condemnation from various Kikuyu leaders, including former MP Kimani Ngunjiri and Njenga Mungai, the Jubilee Party’s Council of Elders chairman.

 Conversely, some grassroots Kalenjin community leaders, present at the meeting, defended their right to gather, intent on determining their political future and assessing Kihika’s administration, which they supported.

The Kalenjin community elders emphasised that their support for Kihika was based on legitimate expectations and their constitutional right to meet and monitor development in Kalenjin-majority areas of the county.

They denied any malicious intent and reaffirmed their commitment to peace and interethnic coexistence.

The meeting was attended by MPs, including Paul Chebor (Rongai), Joseph Tanui (Kuresoi South), Alfred Mutai (Kuresoi North), and Liza Chelule (County Woman Representative).

The group was joined by many other legislators from outside Nakuru County, including Aaron Cheruiyot (Senate majority leader), Mursa Sirma (Eldama Ravine), t Jackson Koskei (nominated), Joseph Cherorot (Kipkelion East), Hillary Koskei (Kipkelion West), and Beatrice Kemei (Woman Representative, Kericho County).

 Also present were elected and nominated MCAs from Nakuru County led by Majority Leader William Mutai.

 A former chief, Stephen Koech, told The Sunday Standard that the meeting did not focus on Kihika as an individual but rather on her administration’s performance regarding appointments to her Cabinet and the distribution of resources and development projects.

Koech said Nakuru opinion leaders had invited MPs from outside thecounty to voice their grievances and convey them to President Ruto, with whom they are closely connected.

He noted that Kalenjin community members in Nakuru supported Kihika after being encouraged by President Ruto, who assured them during the 2022 elections that she would represent their interests.

“For this reason, the community felt it necessary for us to meet as leaders and evaluate Kihika’s administration as we approach the next election,” Koech said.

Kihika’s conflict with Kalenjin community leaders began shortly after she took office, when they accused her of neglecting community members in her administration.

 They criticised her for appointing only one community member to her Cabinet, compared to her predecessors Lee Kinyanjui and Kinuthia Mbugua, who each appointed four Kalenjin community members.

Some MPs and other leaders boycotted a luncheon at Nakuru Athletics Club — held after thanksgiving prayers and attended by President Ruto — following her election.

 The luncheon was held at her Ngata residence, where the President attended. However, some MPs chose to dine at a hotel in Kiamunyi, joined by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.

 Shortly after, the governor was booed and heckled her at Karirikania during Ruto’s official visit to inaugurate a road there.

 The President, who did not intervene, watched as the governor struggled to address the crowd before ending her speech amid growing heckling.

Later, the governor reached a compromise with Kalenjin community leaders following the President’s intervention, and he began holding joint rallies nationwide.

 Kihika’s predecessors, Kinuthia Mbugua and Lee Kinyanjui, also fell victim to the political interests of the Kalenjin community.

While the community strongly supported Mbugua’s initial election as governor, they withdrew their backing and shifted support to Kinyanjui after accusing him of failing to champion their interests.

During the last General Election, the community shifted support from Kinyanjui to Kihika. Recently,  Kihika’s attack on Kalenjin community leaders may reignite old ethnic tensions between the Kalenjin and Kikuyu communities in the county.

 These hostilities had eased as leaders from both groups entered a power-sharing agreement over the past three elections, starting in 2013 with the alliance of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and then Deputy President Ruto.

Koech emphasised that the leaders had no malicious intent, countering the governor’s claims, which she accused of trying to incite ethnic tensions for political gain.

“Kihika is crying wolf after realising she is treading on slippery ground, as most voters voice concerns over her performance,” Koech said.

John Busii, a political activist and Kanu party member, said Kihika received more than half her votes from the Kalenjin community and smaller groups.

He noted that the largest voting bloc, the Kikuyu community, split their votes between Kihika and her predecessor, Kinyanjui, now Trade Cabinet Secretary.

He added that community leaders submitted a 20-page memorandum to Kalenjin MPs in the Senate and National Assembly, outlining grievances and urging action from the President.

He criticised Kihika for appointing only one Kalenjin to her Cabinet of 10. She appointed six from her own community and one each from the Kalenjin, Maasai, Luo, and Kisii communities. Busii alleged that Kalenjin is the second-largest ethnic group after Kikuyu.

Busii accused the governor of failing to honour a political truce made with community leaders last year, where she pledged to support development projects in Kalenjin-majority areas.

He said the Kalenjin community was considering strengthening ties with smaller communities in Nakuru County, noting that many Kikuyu members backing President Ruto support the Opposition.

 “The shifting political scene has also placed Kihika in a tough spot, especially since she has fallen out of favour with some Kalenjin community members, which is why she is criticising them for attending a meeting to decide the community’s political future,” Busii said.

 Former Nakuru County Council nominated councillor Joshua Toroitich said changing political alliances has made Kihika feel insecure as the country approaches the next elections.

Toroitich, a Kanu party member, added that the Kalenjin community feels sidelined by Kihika’s administration and is considering supporting another Kikuyu candidate.

“Many believe they would be safer with Kinyanjui if he runs for the top seat next year. This worries Kihika when community leaders meet to review her performance,” he said.

 “Kihika has also met with delegations from Kikuyu, Kisii, Luo, Luhya, Turkana, and other groups in Nakuru, all without complaints about her motives,” Toroitich added.

Political analyst Cleopas Isiaho said Nakuru’s Kalenjin community opposed Kihika because they saw her as undermining their leaders.