However, in a dramatic turn of events, the rallies were abruptly cancelled at the last minute, sparking widespread speculation among political observers and his supporters. Sources close to Matiang’i’s camp have linked the cancellation to a strategic manoeuvre by Gachagua, who is said to have hastily organised and executed his own tour of Meru County just days earlier. Promoting his Democratic Conservative Party (DCP), Gachagua held a series of well-attended rallies, effectively pre-empting and overshadowing Matiang’i’s planned engagements.
Insiders suggest that Matiang’i and his advisers interpreted Gachagua’s move as a deliberate act of political sabotage. “They knew they were being undercut,” said one source familiar with the matter. “The optics would not have been favourable if Matiang’i had drawn larger crowds in the same region shortly after Gachagua’s events.”
The episode underscores a growing rift between two political heavyweights vying for dominance in one of Kenya’s most politically strategic regions. While Gachagua is positioning himself as the de facto leader of Mount Kenya, Matiang’i is seen as a potential unifier, drawing support from former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee faction and other opposition-leaning blocs.
Notably, Matiang’i’s Meru tour was to be hosted by former Meru Governor Peter Munya, a close ally of Uhuru and leader of the Party of National Unity (PNU). Analysts believe this alliance further unsettled Gachagua’s camp, given Munya’s influence and grassroots mobilisation capacity in the region.
“There is growing unease within the DCP that Matiang’i’s partnership with Munya forms part of a broader strategy to mount a serious challenge in Mount Kenya,” said political analyst David Muriithi. “There are concerns that Munya could be positioning himself as Matiang’i’s running mate in 2027, an arrangement that could significantly shift the political balance.”
Sources within the DCP have also voiced discomfort over what they termed as an “unauthorised political intrusion” by Matiang’i. The party reportedly felt bypassed by efforts to stage a high-profile event in what they consider their stronghold, without any prior consultation.
Gachagua’s ambitions appear to go beyond defending President William Ruto’s administration. There is growing evidence that he is working to entrench himself as Mount Kenya’s political kingpin, with eyes firmly set on influencing the presidential succession.
As the country moves closer to the next election cycle, the cancellation of Matiang’i’s Meru tour has laid bare the fragile political dynamics at play in Mount Kenya. With former President Uhuru Kenyatta quietly engineering a Jubilee resurgence and Gachagua consolidating control through the DCP, the region is fast becoming the epicentre of Kenya’s next major political battle.
Whether Dr Matiang’i will regroup and reassert himself in the region remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: his quiet withdrawal from Meru has handed Gachagua a temporary upper hand, while signalling the opening salvos of what promises to be a bruising contest for the soul of Mount Kenya.
[/full]
