A bishop from Kenya’s vote-rich Mt Kenya region assured President William Ruto on Sunday of the region’s strong support in the 2027 elections, directly countering claims that the president has lost backing there.
The bishop of the African Independent Pentecostal Church of Africa (AIPCA) in Gatundu North spoke during a church service the president attended. He described Ruto as a listening father figure and rejected suggestions that Mt Kenya voters would abandon him.
Bishop pledges early, overwhelming votes
“As our father, we shall bring all our needs to your attention because you love us,” the bishop said. “Some people were saying that our President Ruto should forget Mt Kenya votes. Mt Kenya is us.”
He promised that residents would turn out early and vote in large numbers for Ruto’s re-election.
“We want to assure our President that the person who was claiming that we shall not give you our votes — that early in the morning, we shall vote in our President to continue with work,” the bishop said.
“Amen, President Ruto, you should not worry. We love you and we shall continue with this journey together.”
The public endorsement comes as Ruto seeks to solidify support in Mt Kenya, a region that delivered crucial votes in his 2022 victory but has shown signs of strain after the October impeachment and removal of his former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua.
Gachagua’s earlier warning
In June, Gachagua told Ruto he could no longer count on Mt Kenya votes for 2027, accusing the president of betrayal and neglecting the region’s interests.
“My brother William Ruto, I cannot help you. Don’t blame me, I’m not the cause,” Gachagua said then.
He claimed he had warned Ruto repeatedly about growing discontent.
“My brother William Ruto, you have lost the mountain,” Gachagua said. “Let me advise you for free: forget about this mountain. If you have any plan to be re-elected, in your formula and mathematics, remove the mountain because it is gone forever.”
Gachagua, now leader of the Democracy for Citizens Party, said the president had abandoned a bloc worth millions of votes to pursue smaller gains elsewhere.
“He has left four million votes to chase one million votes,” he said, apparently referring to Ruto’s outreach to other regions.
Ruto defends national development agenda
Ruto has brushed aside the criticism, calling his former deputy a propagandist and insisting that infrastructure and development projects across Kenya, including in areas outside Mt Kenya, serve the entire country.
“I have done nothing wrong in bringing development to Meru,” Ruto said. “I will not be distracted by propaganda.”
Sunday’s church event is part of broader efforts by Ruto allies to shore up loyalty in Mt Kenya ahead of the next election. Government officials and regional leaders have held rallies and formed groups to highlight administration achievements and push back against opposition narratives.
Mt Kenya remains a pivotal voting bloc in Kenyan politics, often deciding national outcomes with its large turnout. While divisions linger after the Ruto-Gachagua fallout, endorsements from influential religious leaders carry significant weight in a country where faith and politics frequently overlap.
Political observers say such public displays of support signal that substantial portions of the region’s grassroots and clerical leadership still stand behind the president as the 2027 race begins to take shape.
