Outgoing Mbeere North Member of Parliament Geoffrey Ruku has allegedly stepped in to save President William Ruto's visit to the Mt. Kenya region.
The president is scheduled to visit Embu on his fourth day in the region. However, reports indicated that the visit might have been disrupted.
This came after members of the Embu County Assembly(MCAs) reportedly threatened to disrupt the visit as a form of retaliation against Governor Cecily Mbarire.
The angry MCAs claimed that they had been excluded from the planning of the President's visit, and to express their frustration with the governor, they had vowed to cause chaos and disrupt the meeting, potentially tarnishing its success.
Tension erupted during an emergency night meeting at the Embu County Assembly, prompting the outgoing Mbeere North MP Ruku to step in.
A faction of the MCAs alleged that not only had they been excluded from the planning of President Ruto’s visit, but the governor had also blocked them from attending the tour.
In retaliation, the MCAs threatened to disband the Governor’s Delivery Unit (GDU), which focuses on ensuring that the governor’s key developmental priorities are effectively implemented, monitored, and evaluated.
The disagreements escalated, with the MCAs arguing that they had a right to be involved in the visit. However, MP Ruku intervened, and after a one-and-a-half-hour closed-door session, he managed to ease the tension between the governor and the MCAs.
The nominee for Public Service CS later described the conflict as a plot by detractors of development.
Following the meeting, the MCAs reaffirmed their support for the President’s visit, reversing their earlier stance. President Ruto is expected to start his visit on Friday in Mbeere South Sub-County as part of his ongoing developmental tour in the region.
Ahead of the visit, parts of Embu town have been cleaned, and security has been heightened. The president is expected to oversee road infrastructure, affordable housing, fresh produce markets, and electricity connectivity, among other projects.
The president has taken advantage of the tour to promote peace and unity among Kenyans from all regions, urging them to put aside any political differences for development.
