President William Ruto is facing accusations from Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara that new political parties are being planned across the Mt Kenya region to weaken its political unity ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Kihara made the claims on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 at Radio Generation, alleging that political outfits could be established in Kirinyaga, Murang’a, Kiambu and Kieni as part of a wider plan to divide the region.
“There are not all these sideshows. They are just games meant to fragment the mountain,” Kihara said.
The legislator argued that the possible emergence of multiple parties could create divisions among leaders and voters in a region that played a key role in Ruto's election victory.
Kihara cited developments in Kieni, where the area MP has announced plans to establish a political party, as an example of the changes she believes could spread across Mt Kenya.
She warned that the region could soon have several competing political outfits, naming Kirinyaga, Murang’a and Kiambu among the areas where new parties could be established.
“We are going to have so many parties coming up. We are going to have a Kirinyaga party. Maybe it will come with Ruto. I do not know who will come with it. There is one already in Kieni. There is going to be one in Murang’a. There is one in Kiambu,” she said.
She also suggested that the proposed Kirinyaga party could be launched by a political ally of the President, raising the possibility of Governor Anne Waiguru being involved.
However, Kihara downplayed the potential influence of the emerging parties, maintaining that their formation would not change the region's political direction.
She further claimed that Ruto was anxious about the possibility of losing support in Kenya, which she said had contributed significantly to his rise to the presidency.
“Just desperate moves by Ruto to fragment the mountain. He fears this mountain, much as it’s a mountain that put him there.
Kihara's allegations come amid political changes in the region, following Kieni MP Njoroge Wainaina's decision to leave Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) for the Ufanisi Kenya Party.
Wainaina, popularly known as Chieni, was elected to Parliament on a UDA ticket in 2022. He announced his departure during a meeting with residents of Kieni Constituency in Nyeri County on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
The MP said the decision was driven by the need for residents and local leaders to have a political platform through which they could pursue their interests, as debate continues over Mt Kenya's position within the ruling coalition.
Explaining his move, Wainaina used a vehicle analogy to describe the decision to establish a separate political path for the constituency.
“Because of the gods, and because we have occasionally been reminded that we went to a wedding with someone else’s vehicle, I have made my 504. It will carry all the residents of Kieni, and that is the Ufanisi Kenya Party,” Wainaina said.
His departure from UDA adds to the political shifts taking place ahead of the 2027 elections, with the emergence of new parties likely to feature in discussions about the region's political future.
Kihara has maintained that the developments point to efforts to break up Mt Kenya's political base, warning that the region risks being weakened by the formation of multiple parties.
“Now that it’s not with him, I’m not sure he can sleep. I’m sure he can’t sleep,” she added.