Rigathi Gachagua’s latest scheme for Mt. Kenya is chillingly familiar: fill Parliament with “Tugeges” — leaders who ask no questions, demand nothing for the people, and blindly obey orders even when those orders hurt the very communities that elected them. It is a dangerous return to the politics of servitude, and it risks condemning Mt. Kenya to yet another cycle of betrayal and stagnation.
History has shown us where such politics lead. For decades, Mt. Kenya has supplied obedient MPs whose loyalty was to the kingpins rather than the citizens. They nodded along as farmers were exploited, youth remained jobless, and public resources were diverted. The few who dared speak out were isolated, labelled rebels, or denied re-election.
The result? Our region became politically captive, reduced to a bargaining chip in national politics, while ordinary families struggled with collapsing coffee, tea, and dairy industries.
By seeking “yes-sir” leaders, Gachagua is not building a team for progress — he is building a shield for his own power. Such leaders will not fight for better prices for farmers, for investment in industries, or for fair distribution of national resources.
They will clap when told to clap and stay silent when silence means suffering for their people.
Mt. Kenya deserves better. Our region’s strength has always come from independent thinkers — leaders who negotiate boldly, question authority, and secure tangible results for the people. To elect “Tugeges” is to silence ourselves in the corridors of power and to mortgage the future of generations.
The people of Mt. Kenya must resist this trap. Democracy thrives on questioning, on checks and balances, on leaders who serve the people, not one man’s ambition. Blind loyalty is not leadership — it is surrender.
