Ruto begins five-day tour of Mt Kenya region

The Head of State arrived at Sagana State Lodge on Sunday evening, where he met a number of leaders and held a roundtable media interview. 

The tour comes amid uncertainty on the reception that will be accorded to the Head of State as he has lost favour with a number of leaders from the region since the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. 

Gachagua, elected as Ruto’s deputy in the 2022 General Election, was impeached by the Senate in October 2024. He has since rallied several political leaders from the Mt.Kenya region to oppose his former boss. 

In a tell-it-all interview on Sunday, Ruto addressed his fallout with Gachagua, claiming that his former deputy attempted to blackmail him. 

The President also argued that the split emerged shortly after the duo took office, with Gachagua clashing with key figures such as blogger Dennis Itumbi and MPs Ndindi Nyoro and Kimani Ichung'wah.

The projects that Ruto is set to inspect and commission include roads, affordable housing, fresh produce markets, electricity connectivity and water and irrigation.

In Kiambu and Laikipa County, the President is expected to inspect the construction of the County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIPS). 

Ruto will also issue title deeds in Nyeri and Meru counties and head to inspect ongoing water, sanitation and sewerage programmes in Meru, Murang'a and Embu counties.

In the tour, the Head of State is also expected to visit livestock feedlots and the JM Memorial Hospital in Ol Kalou, which is under construction, and thereafter visit the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) in Murang’a. 

Inspection of ongoing Affordable Housing projects is also on Ruto’s tray during the 5-day visit. 

On March 20, the President met leaders from the Mt.Kenya region, and according to State House, they held talks on “revamping the agricultural sector in coffee, tea and dairy farming, infrastructure development, affordable housing and fresh produce markets.”

In his rebuttal, former DP Gachagua has downplayed the tour, warning residents to be wary of President William Ruto's tactics of splashing large sums of money during his visit. 

Speaking in Naivasha on Saturday, the former DP explained that the president would spare no expense to appease the vote-rich region in an attempt to restore public trust in his regime. 

The tour, a seemingly ‘slippery climb on the mountain’ for Ruto, is also considered one that will determine his stakes in the vote-rich region come the 2027 General Election.