Njuri Ncheke urge Ameru to stand with Kindiki and back Ruto, reject mountain split
Key points
- Njuri Ncheke at Nchiru Shrine urged the Ameru to stand firmly with DP Kithure Kindiki and support President William Ruto.
- Through Kiraitu Murungi, elders rejected talk of splitting the Mt Kenya voting bloc and called for one mountain with Mt Kenya West.
- Kindiki urged outreach to Mt Kenya West leaders and said leadership in Meru is leadership for the whole mountain.
- He argued voting for Ruto is voting for the region’s stake because he serves as Deputy President.
“Njuri Ncheke strongly urges the Ameru people to stand firmly with our son Kithure Kindiki, and to support His Excellency William Samoei Ruto,” the council declared at the Nchiru Shrine in Meru County, KBC reported — a direct elders’ endorsement that also rejected attempts to split the Mt Kenya voting bloc.
Former Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi read the council’s statement, saying the elders recognised Prof. Kithure Kindiki as a distinguished son of Meru and thanked President Ruto for appointing him Deputy President. The council said Ruto–Kindiki leadership would champion peace, stability and development in Meru, Tharaka Nithi and the wider country, and cited long-standing ties with elders’ councils among the Agikuyu, AEmbu and AMbeere.
One mountain, not two
“There is talk of splitting the mountain. As Njuri Ncheke we do not support the splitting of the mountain, we want one mountain, we have always been one people with our brothers from Mt Kenya West and we wish to remain the same,” Murungi declared on the council’s behalf, according to the report. Elders also urged Meru residents to defend community political interests while engaging the national government on insecurity, water shortages, roads, markets and delayed title deeds.
Kindiki, for his part, urged the Ameru to reach out to political leaders and elders in Mt Kenya West to build a common front. “Our brothers in Mount Kenya West have not rejected us at the ballot… Let us engage them,” he said, asking Njuri Ncheke to open dialogue with counterparts so GEMA relationships are not weakened by political differences. “When leadership is in Meru, it is leadership for the entire Mount Kenya region. When it is in Kikuyu or Embu, it is also leadership for the entire Mount Kenya region,” he added.
Further, the Deputy President called on Meru voters to back Mr Ruto’s second-term bid: “Voting for President William Ruto next year is voting for ourselves because I serve as his Deputy President in this Government.” He also said he had forgiven those who insulted him and was ready to work across the political divide. Politics desk: Politics. Verified: Nchiru setting, Murungi statement role, anti-split language, Kindiki unity and Ruto-stake quotes, GEMA outreach theme. Elder resolutions do not bind IEBC ballots; rival Mt Kenya factions will answer with their own tours and counters.
The Nchiru declaration gives Kindiki a traditional-authority boost as competition for mountain influence intensifies toward 2027. How Mt Kenya West elders and elected leaders respond — embrace, cool silence or open rebuttal — will show whether “one mountain” is a slogan or a workable coalition map.
Based on KBC reporting of the Nchiru Shrine event and quoted remarks. Full elder resolutions and any later clarifications control the council’s official position.
