The battle for political control of Mt Kenya intensified this weekend as President William Ruto and his impeached Deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, circled each other like wrestlers, each holding separate events in Meru.

The two political rivals took veiled jabs at each other during their respective functions, each declaring their affection for Meru and justifying their investments in the region.

Gachagua, who had been in Meru since Friday, criticized the President and his administration over their policies and leadership style, alleging he was targeted and forced out of office for purchasing a piece of land in the county.

He claimed that the President had built a luxury hotel in the area, which explained the construction of a tarmac road leading to the investment.

Addressing roadside rallies,  Gachagua said one of the grounds for his impeachment was the purchase of land in Meru. He defended the move,  saying he was a true son of the region as his mother hailed from Meru, and he wanted to build a home to be closer to his brothers and sisters.

On Saturday, the President, who presided over the 10th Annual Dairy Farmers Field Day at the Meru ASK showground before addressing residents at Makutano in Meru town, indirectly confirmed his investment in the region. He dismissed  Gachagua as a propagandist and defended his decision to invest in Meru, saying he had done nothing wrong.

“This is also my home. I will build a home here and they can do nothing about it. Meru is part of Kenya,” Ruto said. “I hear some people spreading propaganda that I want to become an investor in Meru. What is wrong with that? What is wrong with me contributing to the growth of Meru town?” he posed.

While dismissing Gachagua as a leader lacking vision, President Ruto accused his former Deputy of having no agenda for education, health or development, and defended his own track record, particularly in agriculture.

“I gave some people a job, but they joined hands with cartels to bring in fake fertiliser,” Ruto said, in an apparent reference to former Agriculture CS Mithika Linturi, who accompanied Gachagua on his political tour. “I fired them. I’m committed to driving cartels out of the agriculture sector.”

The controversial hotel at the centre of the political clash between Ruto and Gachagua is located opposite Kenya Methodist University. It was originally owned by area MP Rahim Dawood and is allegedly situated on riparian land.

Gachagua, who pitched tent in Meru ahead of the President’s visit, urged residents to boycott the controversial hotel, claiming it was being renovated using public funds meant for roadworks and development.

“As the regional leader, I urge my people not to patronise that hotel in Meru County,” he said. “The only road under construction is the one leading to the hotel. The people of Meru have been punished; he fired former Inspector General of Police Japheth Koome, attempted to remove Chief Justice Martha Koome, and sidelined Muthaura and his son. We can’t even buy tea or mandazi from that hotel.”

Gachagua also accused President Ruto of sponsoring his impeachment over the purchase of land in Meru, saying the move showed contempt for the people of the region.

“I belong to Meru. My mother hailed from here. Ruto backed the impeachment motion against me because of where I come from. What wrong did I commit by buying land in Meru?” he posed. “I will build a storey building to host people from this area when they come to consult me.”
Gachagua claimed that the President had resorted to using local MPs to incite violence and run empowerment programmes that only offered residents handouts such as beans, while people in the Rift Valley were receiving motorbikes and public service vehicles.

“Instead of building roads in this region, the President has focused on tokenism and handouts, while in his own backyard, he’s empowering people with income-generating ventures,” Gachagua said.

Meanwhile, the Head of State maintained that ongoing reforms in the agricultural sector were bearing fruit, with increased productivity and improved earnings for farmers.
“In the dairy sector, we have increased farmers’ earnings from Sh35 to over Sh50 per litre. As a result, the value of milk produced has risen from Sh40 billion to Sh59 billion, a clear indication of strong growth,” the President said.

“To sustain this momentum and further support the dairy industry, we are implementing bold measures including reducing the cost of sexed semen to Sh1,000, launching a nationwide livestock vaccination drive, exempting yellow maize from taxes to lower animal feed costs and expanding access to milk coolers to reduce post-harvest losses.”