My late father, Joe Nyagah, is on record as having warned repeatedly that if Mt Kenya failed to produce a president in 2022, we, as a community, would not see the inside of State House for “a minimum of 20 years.”
This was the driving force behind his Independent bid for the presidency in 2017, which was designed to position him to be that candidate in 2022.
As the predictable rapprochement between President William Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga plays out, we, the people of Mt Kenya now find ourselves in an unusual position. We are without a leader, a strategy or a plan. The most important question in Kenyan politics remains the question of Uthamaki.
Political leadership of Mt Kenya equates to the most powerful political figure in Kenya. Whoever holds that position holds the power to determine our direction and whoever holds that position shall be, at one point, the President.
The people of Mt Kenya used the last election to commit regicide.
The sword they wielded is now our 5th President. I congratulate him upon the brilliance of his campaign. I urge his Mt Kenya lieutenants to recognize that campaigning is over. It should already be clear to all that our 6th President shall come from Western. This is both right and fitting.
Kenya will have been led by only two communities for 69 years come 2032. My dear fellow Mt Kenyans are now going to have to learn the meaning of patience. My late father used to say it was not possible to be President of Kenya unless one has been a national political figure for at least 20 years.
Looking at the present crop of Mt Kenya political leaders, it is clear none comes close to meeting this threshold. It is, therefore, time for Mt Kenya to put last year’s election to bed and start identifying our 2042 candidate.
One of the advantages of coming from an old dynasty is the ability to take a long-term view of politics. Dynasties come and go. Leaders come and go. Statesmen, we are taught, consider the next generation. It is time for the next generation of Mt Kenya statesmen and women to emerge.
Just as it should be clear that our 6th President shall come from Western, it should equally be clear that his or her deputy shall most likely be the 7th. The identity of this deputy is for Mt Kenya to decide upon now.
For the next 19 and half years, Mt Kenya shall be a community that supports the government of the day. We shall work hard to build ourselves and our country. We shall demand and expect to receive our fair share of government resources and appointments. We shall not seek to monopolize positions or exclude others. We have tasted power long enough to know that it swings both ways, and we shall wait patiently until it is our turn to once again produce a president.
This does not mean that we shall not organize, protect our rights and interests, speak our minds or allow the democracy we gave so much blood to win to be threatened or endangered in any way.
The people of Mt Kenya wish President William Ruto nothing but the greatest of success in his terms of office. There will be no more delighted community in Kenya than ours when President Ruto regains control of our economy and public finances and puts us back on the path to sustained and rapid economic growth.
Landlessness, poverty, crime, addiction, desperation and despair are afflictions that Mt Kenya faces perhaps more than any other Kenyan community. Like all other Kenyans, we are tired of endless politicking. We want peace, stability and the room to grow. Our hard work will take care of the rest.
As a son, grandson and nephew to senior and highly respected Mt Kenya political leaders, I am very clear in my mind as to what Mt Kenya needs to be looking for in our next leader.
First and foremost is integrity. Mt Kenya voters are the most experienced and ruthless voters in Kenya. We no longer believe that speaking the same language means we are on the same page. We work too hard for the money we give as taxes to see it all eaten.
We are not interested in leaders who cannot explain the source of their wealth and we are not interested in being the source of that wealth. We are only interested in leaders of the highest personal integrity. This is non-negotiable.
Second, the next leader of Mt Kenya must come from Mt Kenya East. For decades, the people of Kirinyaga, Embu, Tharaka Nithi and Meru have faithfully supported our Kikuyu cousins.
With the greatest of respect to the mighty men of Murang’a, the historical facts are what they are. To ensure the unity of Mt Kenya as a voting bloc, it is essential that our next leader comes from my home area. This is equally non-negotiable.
Third, our next leader must be a leader who is acceptable to, and accepted by, all Kenyan communities. Our people are in every corner of Kenya doing business with every community in this country. The success of Kenya is our success and vice versa.
The days of dreaming that Mt Kenya can rule Kenya in isolation are long gone. We need a leader who is respected by all Kenyan communities. We need a leader we can be proud of and others be envious of.
Finally, the time has come for a generational transfer of political power on the Mountain. We now need to identify a leader who will be in his or her 60s 20 years from now.
This is the reality of forward planning, the reality of our demographics and the reality of strategic statesmanship.
Uthamaki inaenda wapi? There is no more important question than this now facing Mt Kenya.
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