Muturi rejects calls for one-party politics in Mt. Kenya
Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi has rejected calls to consolidate Mt. Kenya voters into a single political outfit, saying the region and the country must remain committed to multiparty democracy.
Speaking on Sunday, August 25, 2025, during the grand opening of the National Independent Church of Africa’s St Peter Kaunjira, Muturi emphasised that Kenya’s Constitution guarantees every citizen the freedom to associate with and support a political party of their choice.
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He cautioned leaders against pushing a single political narrative in Mt. Kenya, arguing that such a move would contradict the spirit of democracy and the diverse political aspirations of the people.
The former CS maintained that multiparty politics is one of the key pillars safeguarding Kenya’s democratic space, and warned that undermining it would stifle political competition, limit accountability, and erode the freedoms that citizens have fought to protect.
He stressed that unity should not be mistaken for political uniformity, adding that Mt Kenya’s strength lies in its ability to accommodate different voices and choices within the democratic framework.
“Our Constitution clearly states that Kenya shall be a multi-party democratic State, and every citizen has the right to belong to a political party of their choice. I’ve heard some of you suggest that people from Mt. Kenya should only rally behind one party, let me be clear, that is a firm NO!” Muturi declared.
In June 2025, he was reinstated as leader of the Democratic Party of Kenya to bolster smaller, Mt. Kenya-rooted parties and resist pressure to be folded into a single dominant outfit. At the same time, Muturi has grown sharper in his public criticism of the government, framing his opposition to a one-party push as a defence of the Constitution, freedom of association and citizen accountability.
Power struggles
Muturi’s remarks come against the backdrop of a charged political climate in Mt. Kenya, where the fallout from President William Ruto’s break with impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua continues to reshape alliances. Since Kithure Kindiki’s swearing-in as Deputy President in late 2024, the region has been undergoing a delicate realignment, with leaders recalibrating loyalties and testing new power centres.
By August 2025, Mt. Kenya politics will remain unsettled. Gachagua’s dramatic impeachment left a vacuum that his allies have struggled to fill, while Kindiki has quietly consolidated authority as Ruto’s principal point man in the region.
At the same time, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has positioned himself as a youthful counterweight, keen to inherit the constituency Gachagua once commanded. This three-way tug between Kindiki’s incumbency, Nyoro’s ambition, and lingering Gachagua loyalists has heightened tension in local gatherings and church events, where competing camps openly display their allegiances.
Within the ruling coalition, cracks have widened. UDA has been rocked by infighting and mistrust, with accusations that the party is trying to muscle smaller outfits into submission.
