Heckling mars Kindiki’s Tharaka-Nithi tour as Mbiuki calls for unity

Maara MP warns that escalating political tensions in the county are damaging the Deputy President’s national image ahead of 2027

By Blaise Gitonga

Maara Constituency Member of Parliament Kareke Mbiuki called for political tolerance in Tharaka-Nithi County yesterday after heckling and disorder disrupted Deputy President Kithure Kindiki’s public engagement in Mitheru on Thursday, the latest in a series of similar incidents during the Deputy President’s recent visits to the region.

Speaking at a press briefing, Mbiuki said the chaos had damaged Kindiki’s image nationally and urged leaders across the county to close ranks ahead of the 2027 General Election. He described the Mitheru incident as the culmination of tensions that had been building steadily across several previous engagements, warning that the pattern of disruption was becoming impossible to ignore.

“Yesterday was the climax of all the heckling that has been happening around the county. It was not the first time we witnessed such behaviour,” Mbiuki said. He recalled earlier incidents at Kaanwa and Marimanti, where he and Woman Representative Susan Ngugi were heckled while addressing crowds during separate visits by the Deputy President. Tharaka-Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki was similarly targeted at Marimanti, even in the absence of some of the leaders concerned.

Mbiuki traced the roots of Thursday’s disorder to this year’s Mashujaa Day celebrations at Nkondi, where Njuki was verbally attacked by Tharaka-based members of the county assembly in what the MP described as openly anti-governor politics. “Some administrators have also been threatened and warned against stepping into Tharaka. Everyone has supporters, and they saw how their leaders were treated at previous events,” he said.

On Thursday in Mitheru, several leaders attempting to address the crowd were heckled, among them Tharaka MP Gitonga Murugara, Chuka-Igambang’ombe MP Patrick Munene and former governor Samuel Mbae Ragwa. Mbiuki singled out Munene, accusing him of inciting the crowd from the podium before Kindiki’s arrival. He also criticised Murugara for positioning himself as the arbiter of loyalty to the Deputy President and questioning other leaders’ allegiance.

Kareke Mbiuki addressing residents at a past event/Kareke Mbiuki

“I remain loyal to the Deputy President. You cannot be the one weighing the level of loyalty of other leaders. You are not Kindiki’s pairing elder or advance team,” Mbiuki said pointedly.

The four-term legislator accused a faction of county leaders of claiming exclusive ownership of the Deputy President and using that posture to turn supporters against political rivals. He described the conduct as showboating that served no one’s interests, least of all Kindiki’s. Mbiuki maintained that every elected leader had the right to seek support from any part of the county and urged those opposed to his presence in certain areas to set aside their grievances.

“I have been around for long, and I have support everywhere, including places where I have been told not to step. Kareke is a system. Everyone is welcome to Maara, but come in peace. A community does not belong to one person,” he said.

Mbiuki called on Kindiki to convene a meeting of local leaders to find a lasting resolution to the recurring disruptions before they inflict further reputational damage on the Deputy President in his own home county.

Despite the political turbulence, Mbiuki took time to acknowledge development progress in the region. He welcomed the commencement of construction of the KSh 7.5B Nithi Bridge, one of the most significant infrastructure projects in the county’s history. The 880-metre structure will stand 100 metres above the Nithi River, connecting Marima and Mitheru through 2.7 kilometres of approach roads. It is expected to end decades of deadly accidents at the crossing along the Nairobi-Embu-Meru Highway. Construction is scheduled for completion within 24 months, though the government has indicated an intention to shorten the timeline without compromising engineering standards. Kindiki directed the contractor during Thursday’s visit to accelerate works while maintaining quality and safety.

Mbiuki also called for the speedy construction of affordable housing at Majira in Chogoria, acknowledged progress on hostels at Muraga Technical Training Institute and welcomed Kindiki’s launch of the tarmacking of the Mitheru-Muthenge-Giampampo-Kamachuku road during the same visit.

The MP’s intervention reflects a wider anxiety among Tharaka-Nithi’s political class about the county’s direction as 2027 approaches. For Kindiki, a Deputy President navigating his own national political ambitions, the spectacle of disorder in his home county carries consequences that extend well beyond local rivalries. How he manages the tensions among his own backyard supporters may prove as consequential as anything he does on the national stage.

The post Heckling mars Kindiki’s Tharaka-Nithi tour as Mbiuki calls for unity appeared first on The Mt Kenya Times.