Kithure Kindiki | Photo: X: Kithure Kindiki

Deputy President says politicians from across the political divide must resolve disagreements peacefully as the country approaches the 2027 General Election

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki plans to convene political leaders from across the Mt Kenya region in an effort to address rising political tensions and incidents of violence ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Kindiki announced the planned meeting while speaking in Kiambu County on Tuesday, October 6, saying it would bring together leaders from different political parties and formations to discuss political tolerance and ways of preventing disagreements from escalating into violence.

The Deputy President said the initiative followed a mandate he received from elders in the Mt Kenya region to promote unity, reconciliation and development.

“I will convene a meeting of all political leaders of Mt Kenya from all political divides so that we can discuss how to end this political goonism that is rearing its ugly head in our region,” Kindiki said.

Kindiki calls for peaceful political competition

Kindiki urged politicians to compete on their policies and programmes while avoiding violence, destruction of property and confrontations between rival supporters.

He said political disagreements should not result in Kenyans turning against one another, arguing that elections are temporary while communities must continue living together after the polls.

The Deputy President also said he would avoid responding to political attacks from leaders in the region, saying he had chosen to forgive those who had criticized him and focus instead on efforts to bring the region together.

Kindiki further proposed cooperation between elders from Mt Kenya and other regions, including the Rift Valley, Nyanza, Western, Coast, North Eastern and Eastern regions, as part of efforts to promote national unity.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki | Photo: X:Kindiki

Meeting follows recent incidents of political violence

Kindiki's announcement comes against a backdrop of several incidents of disorder and violence associated with political activities in parts of Mt Kenya.

One of the most recent incidents occurred on September 12 in Embu County, where youths clashed with police outside a political meeting addressed by Kindiki at Nembure Stadium. Two people died, while several vehicles were reportedly set on fire. Subsequent postmortems established that the two victims died from gunshot wounds.

The Deputy President also referred to previous incidents in the region, including disruptions of protests and political gatherings, as evidence of the need to prevent political competition from becoming violent.

His latest call follows an earlier push for unity among Mt Kenya communities. On September 19, Kindiki participated in a gathering of Mt Kenya elders at Kirigiti Stadium in Kiambu, where elders called for greater unity between Mt Kenya East and West ahead of the 2027 election.

Kindiki has stepped up engagement in Mt Kenya

The planned meeting is part of a broader series of political and community engagements by the Deputy President across the region in recent weeks.

Kindiki has met elders, church leaders, business representatives and grassroots groups while calling for political unity and peaceful competition. He has also urged residents to assess the government's performance based on its development record.

On October 2, while in Limuru, Kindiki similarly warned politicians against ethnic divisions and hatred, saying political leaders should be allowed to present their policies and development agendas without incitement.

The latest initiative places political tolerance and violence prevention among the emerging issues in Mt Kenya as parties and political leaders begin positioning themselves for the 2027 General Election.

The date and specific participants for Kindiki's proposed meeting had not been publicly announced by the time of publication.