Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki on Tuesday faced a hostile reception during an empowerment event in Othaya, Nyeri County, where a section of the youth chanted “one term” slogans in apparent protest against the Kenya Kwanza leadership.
The dissenting group, positioned outside the stadium’s perimeter fence, was quickly dispersed by security officers as the event proceeded. Additional police personnel were deployed to maintain order as tensions briefly flared.
In his speech, Prof. Kindiki appeared to fire back at his predecessor, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of fostering political intimidation and sowing division within the Mount Kenya region.
Also Read
“Haya mambo ya viongozi kuja kutisha viongozi wengine, yakome! Lazima tuheshimiane… heshima si utumwa…” Kindiki said, drawing cheers from supporters inside the stadium.
“Huwezi kuja hapa nikama wewe tu ndio kiongozi unajua kila kitu… ati wewe ndio unafaa kusikizwa… kwani wewe ni Mungu?” he added in a thinly veiled attack.
Kindiki emphasized that the Kenya Kwanza government was still on course to deliver on all its promises, brushing aside claims of disunity and failure.
Reconciliation Efforts in Embu
Earlier in the day, the Deputy President met with Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire at his Karen residence in Nairobi, amid swirling speculation of a fallout following her public outburst during Madaraka Day celebrations in Embu.
“We have no differences with leaders or the people of Embu. Those trying to bring differences — we have no differences,” Kindiki clarified.
He further dismissed claims that his recent visits to Embu, including meetings held without the governor’s presence, were politically motivated or intended to undermine her authority.
“Na ndio mjue tuko sawa… pokeeni salamu za my sister Cess. She was to be here today but Rais aliitisha mkutano na all Governors, ya livestock vaccination…” Kindiki told the crowd, referring to a State House meeting that reportedly kept Governor Mbarire away.
Macadamia and Muguka Politics
While addressing the inaugural National Macadamia Conference in Embu, Kindiki also revealed his role in defusing tensions over the controversial Cash Crops (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which proposed delisting muguka as a scheduled cash crop and categorizing it as a drug.
He said his intervention led to the sponsor of the bill, Kilifi North MP Owen Baya, writing to the National Assembly Speaker to halt its progression.
The move is seen as a strategic gesture to calm agitation among muguka farmers in Embu and surrounding counties, where the stimulant is a key cash crop.