Nyandarua Members of County Assembly (MCAs) have thrown their weight in support for Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, dismissing attempts to position Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki as the new leader of the Mt. Kenya region.

While distancing themselves from a meeting held in Murang’a on Wednesday, where Kindiki was said to be endorsed by a section of MCAs as the Mt. Kenya kingpin, the Nyandarua MCAs now say they the gathering undermined the region’s cohesion and misrepresented the will of the people.

The MCAs, led by their Majority Leader Mwangi Nyaga, noted that DP Gachagua has consistently championed for the interests of Mt. Kenya at the national level, and they believe he remains the rightful leader for the community.

They noted that they cannot afford to be divided by selfish political ambitions, noting that Gachagua has proven himself to be a strong voice for the people who stand firmly behind him.

 “The people of Nyandarua elected the President on the same ticket as the Deputy President, and had clarity on whom they were giving power to at the national level, and who their leader was at the regional level. In this case, the leadership of the Mt. Kenya region is by the grace of the Lord, and the supreme vote of the people, held by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua,” said Nyaga.

“As the local leaders in Nyandarua, we distance ourselves from the meeting held in Nyahururu where MPs lied to the public that the country had endorsed Kithure Kindiki. The correct position is that the Nyandarua leadership, together with all the leadership, are firmly behind their single leader, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.”

The MCAs also called on the government to prioritize the completion of stalled development projects in Nyandarua County, urging leaders to focus on serving the people instead of engaging in divisive politics.

They at the same time criticized Members of Parliament who had earlier thrown their support behind Kindiki, stating that their actions could divide Mt. Kenya community at a time when it needs to present a united front to advocate for its development agenda.

Minority Leader Mwangi Gichuki stated: “When we were electing the President, we used to see a President who would walk, eat maize with us, who was accessible…when did this change? So that now we can have a debate on who is closer to the President and who will take our issues to the President?”

This comes following after a joint statement reportedly agreed on by over 300 MCAs from Central Kenya expressing support for CS Kindiki as the region’s political kingpin.

“As grassroots leaders who interact daily with the people that we represent, faced with the many challenges on our welfare, we have identified and agreed as a region to rally behind the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration Prof. Kithure Kindiki who has agreed to be the champion of our region’s development agenda and our welfare,” they said in a joint statement.

“We have confidence in Prof. Kindiki’s competence, experience and capacity to advance our region’s development needs together with the interests of all the other regions, resulting in a country that develops as a whole, for the prosperity and benefit of all our citizens.”

The declaration by the MCAs also came hours after over 2,000 Njuri Ncheke elders also endorsed Kindiki as the Mt. Kenya East kingpin.