Kirinyaga elders oppose push to split Mt Kenya into East, West

The elders, drawn from Kiama Kia Ma, also dismissed a recent meeting by a faction of elders from the Njuri Ncheke Supreme Council, Nyaangi Ndiriri, Kiama Kia Muembu, Ngome and Mwea Council of Elders, which appeared to support the proposed separation.

The Kiama Kia Ma elders said Kirinyaga remains part of the wider Mt Kenya region and should not be politically classified as part of a separate Mt Kenya East bloc without the consent of its residents.

Chief Elder Muriithi Warutere said residents were unhappy with leaders making political declarations on their behalf without a mandate.

“We are very angry that there are leaders who aren’t even from Kirinyaga making absurd proclamations that parts of Kirinyaga should be and will be part of Mt Kenya East,” Warutere said.

He said elected leaders in the county had the mandate to represent residents' interests and cautioned against using Kirinyaga in the debate over the region's political alignment.

“We as elders and the people of Kirinyaga stand firm in denying this. We refuse to be included in someone who is seeking a political lifeline using us. We are part of one region, Mt Kenya, and we speak in one voice,” he said.

The elders' position comes amid an increasingly heated debate over the political identity of Mt Kenya ahead of the 2027 General Election, with some leaders pushing for separate political paths for Mt Kenya East and Mt Kenya West.

John Gathungu, another elder, said political declarations could not redefine Kirinyaga's identity or determine who speaks for its residents.

“We want to tell those people trying to classify us as Mt Kenya East that Kirinyaga starts from River Sagana to River Rupingazi. They have no authority to speak on our behalf on matters politics,” Gathungu said.

He noted that Kirinyaga had elected leaders, including the governor, MPs and MCAs, to represent residents and make decisions affecting the county.

Gathungu also opposed the proposed division of Mt Kenya, saying the communities in the region had a history of working together.

“On matters Mt Kenya East and West, we as elders want to remind them that our ancestors brought Gikuyu, Embu and Meru together to form GEMA, and that is what we the people from Mt Kenya recognize. We are one people and we won’t be divided for some people to gain politically and individually,” he said.

The elders said they maintained cordial relations with neighbouring Embu and Mbeere communities but rejected attempts to use those ties to determine Kirinyaga's political identity.

“We love our neighbours from Embu and Mbeere, but we are Kirinyaga and we are all one people and won’t accept to be divided,” Warutere said.

Waweru Mugo, an elder from Mwea, said the proposed division was being driven by political interests rather than the concerns of residents, and urged leaders to stop using Kirinyaga and the wider Mt Kenya region as political pawns.