Former President Uhuru Kenyatta receiving greetings from Catholic Faithfulls in Embu
On 1st August 2022, a chilly Monday afternoon, three choppers landed at Buchana village in Gatundu, North Kiambu County, the first to land was carrying central regional Commissioner easter maina.
Some minutes after 4.00pm, the other two military copters carrying former President Uhuru Kenyatta, his aides and officials landed, a mission, to open a completed shs 24 billion Kariminu II dam.
In less than 15 minutes, the formalities were complete, and former President Uhuru Kenyatta took to the rooftop of his vehicle to address the gathered residents of Buchana, who had waited patiently in the drizzling rain since morning.
For 17 minutes, Kenyatta reminded the crowd of his administration’s achievements and campaigned for Raila Odinga’s presidential bid.
He explained his decision to support Odinga over his deputy, the current President William Ruto, with whom he had served for a decade.
“If you join hands with those thugs, they will be counting the loot: one for me, one for that one, and half for Mwananchi—that’s how you will live. I have done my part. God bless you, guide you, and do justice, which you will reap in days to come”.
“Are we in agreement?” “Are we in agreement, my people?” Kenyatta asked for the second time, urging the crowd to consider his words carefully.
As the Presidential Escort Police band played the lyrics to “Cucu wa Gakunga by the late John Ndichu, a popular Musician in central Kenya” Kenyatta waved goodbye to the residents.
Since that day, two years ago, Uhuru has not returned to address his constituents or share a platform with them as he once did.
As a sign of humulation, residents ridiculed Uhuru, they elected leaders from rival parties apart from Ng’enda MCA Joe Kigara who was voted through the Jubilee Party of Kenya.
His last appearance in Gatundu was in December 2023, during the opening of a chapel at their home in Ichaweri, few days later, he and his wife, Mama Margaret, visited the Kariminu Dam in Kiambu County.
According to Richard Wagatonye, a resident of Gatundu South, lack of political goodwill, and subsequent humiliation in the last election could be some of the factors for Uhuru silence.
“There major occasion since then that warrants him to be present, he helps people who reach to him through family members and colleagues, political temperatures have been high.
“Despite his physical absence, he has been helping people from the constituency whenever they reach out to him for help, in fact recently he paid a hospital bill for a resident in Kiganjo, Wagatonye added.
However Gatundu residents are yearning for his presence after being taken for a ride by the current Kenya Kwanza regime.
Last year while celebrating his birthday in the gatundu modern market, traders lamented that the locals have been ‘misled’ into rejecting and condemning their ‘son’, noting that life has become unbearable with the current regime.
In Gatundu North residents whom he addressed before he left and who were affected by the construction of the Kariminu II dam have been calling for speedy compensation to their land.
The residents have been urging the Kenya Kwanza government to release shs 4.2 billion after their houses were submerged by rising levels of the dam,but their cry has fallen on a deaf year.
The recent cry was heard from Mutomo residents whose their land was earmarked and gazetted by NLC for expansion of Mama Ngina University,this is after the Tribunal halted plans to acquire more land.
In its August 12, 2024 ruling, the Land Acquisition Tribunal led by Dr. Nabil Orina, ruled in favour of the petitioners, effectively halting any further progress on the university’s expansion.
According to the ruling, expansion of the university was not necessary as there are major higher learning institutions nearing the village among them Kenyatta University and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
But a group of landowners supporting expansion of the university rejected the ruling,they regreted that if their son was in power such problem would have solved in earnest.
Despite the ridicule Uhuru has shown his friendship with his old friends,on 13th August during the burial of Theta ward administrator Peter Kariuki Mbuthia, Uhuru sent former Statehouse comptroller Kinuthia Mbugua to deliver his condolences message.
Two weeks later in neighbouring Gatanga constituency during the burial of Mary Wanjiru mother to former kiambu MCA Emmmah Wanjiku,Uhuru sent another condolence message which was delivered to the family by former Kiambu Town MP Jude Njomo.
John Njoroge a resident of Muthiga village in Gatundu observed that former President has shied off from appearing in public especially in his hometown [Gatundu] due to the public ridicule he underwent during the 2022 campaigns.
“Despite delivering a myriad of development projects in the area including roads, water, electricity among others, Gatundu residents declined to heed to his advice at the ballot. He is right in his own way,”Njoroge added.
Sovinger Bibiana, a former councillor and local leader in Gatundu South, said Uhuru was still the kingpin of Mt Kenya and his absence was hurting peace and unity in the region.
Kamau Migwi a close confidant of Uhuru the said they are grateful for the development projects the region witnessed during Uhuru’s tenure, adding that they would forever be indebted to the former leader.
“Multi-billion development projects were implemented in the Gatundu like tarmacking of roads, construction of Gatundu Level Five Hospital, Gatundu Modern Market as well as mega water projects,” Migwi noted.
Migwi also noted that the former president initiated the first university in Gatundu South – Mama Ngina University in Mutomo village – which he says revolutionised higher education and spurred growth in the area.
On June this year Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua while heading from Nyandarua made a stopover at Limuru,in his address to the residents he urged President Uhuru Kenyatta to forgive those who wronged him in 2022.
Gachagua acknowledged past mistakes and assured that they would not be repeated. Additionally, he emphasized that the Mount Kenya region will always support its leaders, regardless of their actions.
“The other day, I was on the radio and I said we are sorry, I was wrong as well as you people and we seek forgiveness and it will never happen again in Mount Kenya region,” Gachagua.
He emphasized that the people of the Mount Kenya region should be vigilant and wary of those attempting to divide the community.
Gatundu residents believe that their son who dedicated his life to serve them and Kenyans at large will return home.
Ends.
