Why Mount Kenya will never speak in one voice

Will the Mount Kenya region finally have a unified political voice?

That is the question that has arisen following revelations that various leaders from the region are planning to convene the Third Limuru Meeting to discuss the region’s political direction.

Newsline reports  that these efforts are spearheaded by Narc-Kenya leader Martha Karua, Jubilee Party (JP) leaders led by Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni, among others.

In interviews, the two leaders stated that their goal is to unite the region regardless of the political leanings of current leaders.

Although previous meetings have succeeded in politically unifying the region, analysts say that the current task may prove to be more challenging if top leaders refuse to soften their political stances.

However, some argue that the meeting could be the first step towards political unity in the region, especially after Former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua appeared to tone down their previous hardline political stances.

During the First Limuru Meeting held in 1966, President Jomo Kenyatta abolished the position of Vice President and created eight deputy leader positions within parties.

The aim of the meeting was to remove the first Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who was also the deputy party leader.

Following the meeting, the party created eight deputy leader positions to represent different regions in the country.

These regions included Nairobi, Central, Rift Valley, Coast, North Eastern, Nyanza, and Western.

During the Second Limuru Meeting held in 2012, Mr. Kenyatta received the ‘blessings’ of Mount Kenya leaders to run for president.

The aim of the meeting was to determine the political direction of Mount Kenya, considering that then-President of Kenya, the late Mwai Kibaki, was retiring.

The meeting endorsed Mr. Kenyatta as the leader of the region and formed political alliances with leaders who shared similar political visions and goals, with the main objective being to win the 2013 general elections.

Given that these meetings have occurred at crucial times when the region is making significant political decisions, analysts say that current indications suggest that the region may finally reach a consensus and political understanding.

“What indicates that there is a possibility of political consensus in the region is the reduction in hardline stances that we have been witnessing between Mr. Kenyatta and Mr. Gachagua,” said Professor Ngugi Njoroge, a political analyst.

According to him, the move by these two leaders to soften their hardline political stances, and even Mr. Kenyatta’s acceptance of the call to convene a meeting with all Mount Kenya leaders, is a sign that the meeting may be successful.

However, he says that there are still challenges ahead, as there are allies of these two leaders who have strong stances and oppose any reconciliation efforts between them.

“Despite calls for preparations for the conference, it should be noted that there are still allies of these leaders who would not want to see any dialogue between them. Some allies believe that Mr. Kenyatta has mistreated Mr. Gachagua due to his support for President William Ruto. Similarly, there are those who believe that Mr. Gachagua and his allies have disrespected Mr. Kenyatta. Therefore, time will tell whether the conference will be successful,” the analyst said.