Mt. Kenya Bloc warns against dragging security into 2027 politics

Speaking under the banner of Mt. Kenya Political Leaders for Change, the leaders said the sustained criticism directed at Murkomen had little to do with the performance of the Interior Ministry and was instead part of a broader campaign aimed at weakening the Ruto administration.

The intervention deepens a public feud between Murkomen and Gachagua that has dominated political discourse in recent weeks.

The leaders warned against dragging matters of national security into political contests, arguing that security issues should remain above partisan interests and personal rivalries.

They further accused Gachagua's camp of attempting to incite residents of the Mt. Kenya region against the national government, and called for an end to what they termed divisive politics.

The rivalry between the two men traces back to Gachagua's dramatic fall from the Ruto government, which culminated in his removal from office and his subsequent launch of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), now positioning itself as a leading opposition voice ahead of 2027. Murkomen, one of the administration's most vocal defenders, has since emerged as Gachagua's most persistent government critic.

The exchanges sharpened in late June, when Murkomen branded Gachagua the "father of violence" during a public event in Elgeyo Marakwet County, accusing him of sponsoring criminal gangs and driving instability. He later escalated the language further, describing the former deputy president as the "Lord of Violence and Master of Ethnic Bigotry" in remarks that accused Gachagua of promoting tribal politics.

Gachagua has rejected the accusations and refused to back down. Speaking at his Wamunyoro residence earlier this month, he insisted he was only telling Kenyans the truth and dared Murkomen to act on his threats, saying there was nothing the CS could do to silence him.

Tensions spiked around the July 16 Ol Kalou by-election, with Gachagua accusing Murkomen of orchestrating a security crackdown on DCP supporters and deploying what he termed state-sponsored goons to disrupt the party's activities. The government has dismissed the claims, framing Gachagua instead as the source of the unrest.

Most recently, Murkomen accused Gachagua of attempting to revive the outlawed Mungiki sect to intimidate government officials and electoral officers, an allegation he made during a security assessment tour of the Kerio Valley in Baringo County.