The crisp morning air of Embu County's Mbeere North constituency, where the rolling hills dotted with acacia trees and the distant hum of matatus ferrying voters to polling stations set the stage for a by-election charged with regional loyalties, became the unlikely flashpoint for a scathing rebuke from Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku on November 17, 2025. Speaking at a roadside rally in Siakago town, where 2,000 supporters waved Kenya Kwanza flags under a banner reading "Bottom-Up for Professionals," Ruku turned his sights on former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of hypocritical double standards in his political counsel to the Mt. Kenya electorate. "How can Rigathi preach one thing in the mountains and practice another in the valleys?" Ruku thundered from a makeshift podium flanked by local aspirants, his voice cutting through the cheers like a machete through underbrush. "He tells Mt. Kenya to elect qualified professionals—doctors, lawyers, engineers—to Parliament, yet here he is, campaigning tooth and nail for a benga musician in Mbeere North. Where is the consistency? Leaders must walk the talk, especially when guiding our people on the representation they deserve."
Ruku's salvo, delivered amid the by-election fervor to fill the seat vacated by the death of MP Geoffrey Ruku—no relation—in a June 2025 road accident, targets Gachagua's vocal endorsements during the campaign trail. The former DP, impeached in October 2024 over gross misconduct allegations that included insubordination and ethnic incitement, has reinvented himself as Mt. Kenya's moral compass, touring Kirinyaga, Nyeri, and Murang'a with sermons on meritocracy. "Elect professionals who understand budgets, laws, development—not entertainers or tribal chiefs," Gachagua proclaimed at a November 10 Nyeri baraza drawing 3,000, his words viral on TikTok with 500,000 views. Yet, in Mbeere North, Gachagua has thrown his weight behind independent candidate Josphat Kithingi, a popular Ohangla and benga artist known for hits like "Embe Dodo," whose campaign rallies pulse with live performances and dance troupes, drawing crowds of 5,000 youth in Siakago and Kiritiri.
Ruku, the Public Service CS appointed in July 2024 to streamline government payrolls and anti-corruption drives, framed the contradiction as a betrayal of Mt. Kenya's aspirations. "Gachagua wants surgeons in Parliament for Kiambu, but a singer for Mbeere? This is double standards—treating regions differently based on convenience," Ruku elaborated, gesturing to a crowd that included teachers, nurses, and farmers nodding in agreement. "Our people deserve leaders with qualifications to draft bills, oversee CDF, fight for devolution funds—not microphone holders who entertain but cannot articulate policy." The CS, whose docket has slashed ghost workers by 10,000 saving Sh5 billion, invoked national unity: "Consistency builds trust; hypocrisy breeds division. Mt. Kenya is one—professionals everywhere, or nowhere."
Gachagua's camp fired back swiftly from his Mathira home, where the former DP hosted Kithingi for a strategy session on November 16. "Ruku is a rookie CS peddling lies—Kithingi is a businessman, community mobilizer, not just a musician," retorted Gachagua's spokesperson Njoroge Regeru in a statement circulated to 200 WhatsApp groups in Embu. "Rigathi campaigns for relatable leaders who understand voters' pains—benga connects hearts where suits fail." Kithingi, 42, a former matatu owner turned artist with a diploma in business management, defended his bid at a Siakago concert-rally: "I sing of poverty, roads, water—my music is my CV; I'll legislate for the common mwananchi, not elites."
The by-election, pitting Kithingi against UDA's Mary Goretti—a civil engineer—and ODM's Peter Njeru—a lawyer—has become a proxy war for Mt. Kenya's soul post-Gachagua's fall. Voter turnout projections hit 65 percent among 80,000 registered, with youth at 40 percent drawn to Kithingi's beats. "Gachagua knows benga sways votes here—professionals talk, musicians touch," observed 28-year-old voter Eunice Njeri at the rally, swaying to a campaign track. Yet, elders like 65-year-old farmer John Mugo grumbled: "We need bridge-builders, not balladeers—Ruku speaks truth."
Ruku's critique echoes broader tensions in Kenya Kwanza, where Gachagua's impeachment left a leadership vacuum in Mt. Kenya, with Ruto courting professionals like Wandayi in cabinet. "Double standards erode the region—unite behind qualified, consistent voices," Ruku urged, pledging ministry support for winner's CDF projects. As polls open November 20, the discord endures: professionals or performers, consistency or convenience—a Mt. Kenya melody where messages matter.
The Nyeri baraza: 3,000 attendees, 500,000 TikTok views. Siakago rally: 5,000 youth. Regeru's statement: 200 groups. Kithingi's diploma: business management. Voters: 80,000 registered, 65% turnout. Njeri's sway: campaign track. Mugo's grumble: bridge-builders. For Ruku: "Consistency trust." In the region's resolute rhythm, the rebuke rings—a double-standard duel where Mt. Kenya demands harmony in hype and heart.
