Atwoli: No Mt Kenya politician can claim kingpin status

Veteran trade unionist Francis Atwoli has said no politician from Mt Kenya can currently claim to be the undisputed political kingpin of the vote-rich region,

Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV, Atwoli argued that the Mountain is split among several influential leaders.

He said political support in Mt Kenya was spread across different personalities, making it difficult for any one politician to claim dominance over the region.

Asked whether the Mountain was split, Atwoli responded: “It is split, and even the young man, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro is having a good following in the Mountain.”

Atwoli went further to rule out retired President Uhuru Kenyatta as an undisputed political kingpin, despite his continued influence in national politics and his historical ties to the region.

“Nobody in the mountain can say I am the kingpin, including retired President Uhuru Kenyatta,” Atwoli said.

His remarks come amid an intensifying debate over who will emerge as the leading political voice in Mt Kenya ahead of the 2027 general election.

The region has traditionally been a key political constituency, with presidential contenders seeking to secure its support because of its large voter population.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been seeking to consolidate his influence in the region through the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), while Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has also maintained a strong presence in Mt Kenya as part of the Kenya Kwanza administration.

Other politicians, including K Nyoro, have continued to cultivate their own support bases in the region, adding another layer to the debate over who commands the Mountain.

The competing efforts have raised questions over whether Mt Kenya will eventually rally behind one political figure or whether its vote will be distributed among several presidential and parliamentary formations.

Atwoli also spoke about the political leadership of Western Kenya, where he identified Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula and Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya as the region's “three undisputed leaders”.

“Western has good leaders; one of them is Musalia Mudavadi. The other one is Moses Wetangula; he is a distinguished leader. The other one who matters is Wycliffe Oparanya. These are three undisputed leaders of Western,” he said.

Atwoli said the three leaders had told him that the country should remain under the current two-term arrangement for stability

He also addressed the ambitions of younger opposition politicians, including Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya.

Atwoli acknowledged Sifuna as a leader but said his time to take on a bigger national role had not yet arrived.