Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku has officially walked back his contentious campaign to split the Mount Kenya region, marking a dramatic shift in the ongoing debate over leadership and political unity in the Mount Kenya region.
The decision to abandon the proposal to split the mountain came during a high-profile traditional reconciliation ceremony held with regional elders on Saturday, September 19, 2026. The gathering brought together traditional leaders, community representatives, and political figures keen on restoring harmony within the vote-rich bloc.
During the ceremony, CS Ruku symbolically handed over a traditional axe to the Mt. Kenya Region Elders, a gesture signifying the formal end to his agitation to split the mountain. Video footage of the symbolic handoff rapidly circulated across the social media platform X, drawing widespread attention from political observers and the public.
By returning the ceremonial tool, Ruku publicly signaled his surrender of the divisive campaign that had previously sparked fierce backlash across the region. The act was framed by those present as a complete surrender of factional politics in favor of community cohesion.
How CS Ruku Championed the Drive to Split Mount Kenya Region
The push to split the mountain had previously seen the Cabinet Secretary advocate for a political separation between the Mt. Kenya East and Mt. Kenya West sub-regions. Ruku had argued that Mount Kenya East was being marginalized in resource distribution and government appointments compared to its Western counterpart.
“I will divide the mountain because I want to get my people’s development. I will leave the West, which has already been developed, to go to the opposition. I cannot allow the East to lack development,” said Ruku while addressing a gathering in Othaya, Nyeri County.
“In Kiambu County, electricity connection is about 90 per cent. But in Tharaka-Nithi County, you will ask yourself, are we in the same region? This perpetual unfair treatment is what I say has to come to an end,” Ruku stated during a live national television interview.
“We have supported the West over the years, again and again, for more than 60 years, and we have never complained. This unfair treatment has to come to an end,” he noted during a separate public address.
“If splitting the mountain will get Mt Kenya East electricity, then let it be so. If splitting the mountain will see Mt Kenya East get tarmac roads, let it be so.” Public Service Cabinet Secretary speaking in Thagicu, Mbeere North
His persistent calls to split the mountain had drawn him into intense political heat, culminating in a recent summons before the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC). Critics had accused him of fueling sectarian ethnic politics and heightening political tensions ahead of future election cycles.
“I am not splitting Mt Kenya, I am just saying the truth of how things are as far as the region is concerned,” he previously maintained when pressed on his rhetoric.
“Nobody has sent me to split the mountain, and I’m not splitting the mountain. I’m just speaking the realities of the mountain,” Cabinet Secretary CS Ruku added while responding to political critics.
Despite previously defending his aggressive stance as a legitimate pursuit of equitable development for his home turf, Ruku acknowledged that the rhetoric to split the mountain was causing unnecessary friction. The intense pressure from regional leaders and the public ultimately paved the way for his change of heart.
In exchange for the axe, the council of elders presented CS Ruku with a traditional flywhisk, charging him with a brand-new mandate to unite the region. The elders instructed him to pivot from division to active peacebuilding across the entire Mount Kenya landscape.
