The politics surrounding Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's standing in the National Executive and the apparent rift in Mt Kenya dominated the service at the Sacred Heart Endarasha Catholic Church in Nyeri on Sunday, May 19.
Gachagua was attending the Holy Mass in the company of politicians from the ruling UDA party.
During their speeches, the leaders advised the deputy president to be vigilant as claims were peddled over a plot to shortchange him.
Embakasi North MP James Gakuya strongly asserted that there was a plot from President William Ruto's Rift Valley backyard to elbow him out of power.
"There is a scheme being cooked in Rift Valley to frustrate the deputy president. They should be careful; they cannot teach the mountain how to go about our political business. They should know that we have our right to support whoever we deem fit," Gakuya said.
He went on to castigate Kenya Kwanza social media activist Dennis Itumbi, whom he accused of being used by unmentioned quarters to suppress Gachagua's maneuvers.
Gakuya observed that Itumbi was rallying behind the Mt Kenya outsiders and using his influence to advance narratives against Gachagua.
"We are behind the deputy president. We won't tolerate any plan from other regions to frustrate the deputy president. There are young people being misused. I want to tell one of our own, Dennis Itumbi to go slow with his colleagues. He says he makes presidents, does he think he will tell us who next will be our president? They should seek guidance. They should not be misused by those outside the mountain," Gakuya said.
Gachagua's efforts to rally the populous Mt Kenya region behind him as been encountering stumbling blocks as elected leaders dissent from him to pick their preferred sides.
Earlier this year, over 15 lawmakers elected on UDA party tickets declared to back Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro as the region's kingpin.
Despite the opposing efforts by the wayward politicians in the Kenya Kwanza fold, Gachagua has insisted he is the region's chief and go-to leader.
