MBARIRE Fires Warning Shots at Leaders Undermining Her in Embu

Speaking with fiery resolve during Madaraka Day celebrations at Makima Primary School, Mbarire made it clear she won’t sit back and watch as backroom political deals are made behind her back.

She revealed that secret night meetings are being held to strategize on Embu’s political direction, deliberately excluding the county’s elected leadership and without naming names, Mbarire warned that such schemes will not go unchallenged.

“If there is someone who has been fought for supporting the government it is me. But I have started seeing people trying to square some things for me and they are people who  in government I am defending daily.Those officers from Nairobi are holding night meetings in Embu to plan for Embu politics without involving me and other elected leaders pretending that they understand the politics of Embu better than us .I understand the political terrain of this county,'' Mbarire stated visibly angered.

The governor stated that she has been in politics for some time daring them to stop the trend or name the leaders in public. ''Dont bring fights from Nairobi to me or I put your names in public. Tell me where you were when I have been fighting for President William Ruto. Together with MCAs and my deputy, we traversed the whole county telling people to join this government so that we can benefit. Now you are ferrying fights from Nairobi bringing it in Embu. I will not accept.You know yourselves.Dare you come back to Embu again we shall meet face to face. I am a leader by my own right,'' she stated.

Mbarire further stated that she is a leader elected by the people of Embu and that she must be respected by other leaders the way she does.She noted that if there was any emerging problem in government, they ought to call her and inform but not disrespect her.

Her remarks are the clearest signal yet that political temperatures in Kenya Kwanza government are rising ahead of the 2027 elections, with battle lines already being drawn in the heart of Mt. Kenya politics.

On Friday last week, the Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki made a quiet but politically loaded visit to Embu to address the rising insecurity cases. Unlike previous high-profile visits where local leaders, led by Governor Cecily Mbarire, take charge of mobilization and logistics, Kindiki’s stopover seemed different from previous arrangements. Governor Mbarire was not present when the deputy president visited with some sources close to her saying she was not aware that Kindiki was visiting the county. Shockingly, several members of the Embu county executive confessed in anonymity to the press that they were completely in the dark over the DP's visit.

Kindiki opted to instead work directly with the local business community to mobilize residents for the high-level visit. 

Curiously, the only elected leader from Embu county who accompanied Kindiki during the visit was Embu Senator Alexander Mundigi yet even he was not accorded the courtesy to address the crowd, a rare snub for a sitting senator.

Adding to the intrigue, several of Governor Cecily Mbarire’s close allies took to social media on the eve of Kindiki visit not to welcome the Deputy President, but to dismiss reports of his impending visit as mere speculation.

Mbarire was a no-show at a breakfast meeting held recently at Safari Park hotel in Nairobi raising eyebrows and fueling speculation within political circles in the Kenya Kwanza government.

In the past Kenya Kwanza visits, Governor Mbarire has played a central role, often personally whipping up support from grassroots leaders in mobilization. Four months ago, the Deputy President, in a meeting he held at his Karen residence disclosed that he had met with governor Mbarire and asked her why the president was being heckled in her home county yet she is the national chair and a UDA governor.

''I asked the governor how is it possible you are the national chairperson of UDA, you are a UDA governor and chairperson of the ruling party. You are aparty leader who as the president comes to your home town and he is heckled, what reason do we have to have you on board as the... Vijana wanapigia rais kelele hapo ati rais amesema kitu hapo hawapendi,'' Kindiki said then.

President William Ruto faced public disapproval in Embu County on several occasions in presence of Governor Mbarire, pointing to a shift in the region's political mood. One major incident happened on November 16, 2024, during the consecration of Bishop Peter Kimani as the Embu Catholic Bishop. As President Ruto spoke about government programs like the Affordable Housing initiative and the new Social Health Authority (SHA), parts of the crowd started jeering and murmuring, making it hard for him to continue addressing the meeting. The boos forced him to respond directly to the concerns raised by the residents.

Earlier, on April 4, 2024, during a tour of Embu, Ruto faced another cold reception in Embu town. Youths interrupted his address with chants of “Uongo! Uongo!” (“Lies! Lies!”), expressing dissatisfaction with unfulfilled promises. He pushed on with his speech, but the heckling highlighted growing frustrations in the area.

On January 3, 2025, during the burial of Eric Mutugi, son of former Embu Senator Lenny Kivuti, the then Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi was booed when he tried to read Ruto’s condolence message. The mourners rejected it, forcing Muturi to hand it to the family without reading it aloud.

Is this a sign that Governor Mbarire's grip on Embu’s political scene is weakening? Or could it be that Kenya Kwanza’s senior figures are beginning to sidestep the UDA national chairperson altogether?