Kiambu leaders split over bid to detach from Mt Kenya before 2027 poll
The push to have Kiambu County detached from the larger Mt Kenya political bloc has started to face stumbling blocks, with some leaders now smelling a political ploy.
Speaking separately on Thursday, August 28, 2025, leaders backing the move, led by Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah and Gatundu South MP GG Kagombe, said the proposal would help Kiambu secure resources and political recognition in line with its population size.
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Ichung’wah, who has consistently pressed for a distinct Kiambu political identity, argued that the county’s diversity and numbers justify a separate path.
“We have a huge population. The population is not homogeneous. We must advance our call not in a collective Mt Kenya region, but as our own region.
“We are not going to allow ourselves to be used to serve personal political interest,” Ichung’wah said.
Calls for resource-driven politics
GG Kagombe echoed the sentiments, saying that Kiambu’s population strength should translate into tangible influence.
“Resources and power must match population strength. Some of the regions that have minorities that have been given positions of vice president do not have the population that Kiambu has,” Kagombe noted.
He insisted that detaching Kiambu from the wider Mt Kenya bloc would be a strategic way of ensuring fairer allocation and better bargaining power ahead of the 2027 elections.
The debate comes at a time when political alignments are shifting, with different factions strategising on how to consolidate influence before the next general poll.
Supporters of the push argue that Kiambu has often been overshadowed in the larger Mt Kenya political landscape, despite being one of the most populous counties in the country.
Unity versus isolation
However, not all leaders are convinced. Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba dismissed the proposal, terming it a scheme to splinter the region’s influence.
“This is a ploy to splinter the mountain vote. Hakuna mahali Kiambu inaenda, we will remain as a united county.
“What gains will Kiambu get if it is isolated from the Mt Kenya region? It is a strategy to silence the Mt Kenya region,” Wamuchomba cautioned.
She emphasised that dividing Mt Kenya would weaken the community’s political clout and make it easier for external forces to dictate its future.
As the clock ticks towards 2027, the debate on Kiambu’s political direction promises to be a flashpoint in the wider Mt Kenya succession politics.
