Nakuru County Senator Tabitha Karanja, alias Keroche, on Sunday, August 31, 2025, warned that the push to have Kiambu County detached from the larger Mt. Kenya region will end in tears.
Speaking to a local TV station, Karanja said leaders behind the scheme within President William Ruto’s camp should redirect their political energy to more constructive agendas. She emphasised that the idea of fragmenting Mt Kenya was both divisive and unworkable.
The debate lacks logic.
“Let me say this, the debate that Kiambu should be separated from the Mt Kenya, I don’t think that my people of Nakuru can understand.
“That said, if the debate on separation should be started, it should begin with Nakuru, as we are the second-largest city after Nairobi.
“Kiambu is speaking the same language as Nyandarua, Murang’a, and Nyandarua; it will be hard to detach, and it will flop,” Karanja explained.
Her remarks come amid renewed calls by a section of Kiambu leaders led by Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah and Gatundu South MP GG Kagombe, who argue that Kiambu must chart its own political path before the 2027 general election.
Warning to Ruto allies
Karanja, however, dismissed the campaign as a misplaced strategy that could ultimately backfire on its proponents and the ruling coalition.
“My message to my boss is simple: this discussion is not healthy at all, and our people will eventually reject it,” she stated, signalling unease within Ruto’s Mt Kenya allies.
The senator, known for her bold positions, argued that fragmenting Mt Kenya would only weaken the region’s bargaining power and hand easy political advantage to rivals.
She added that such divisive debates distract from more pressing issues, such as the economy, jobs, and healthcare.
The push for Kiambu’s detachment has already caused divisions, with some leaders, such as Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba, openly rejecting it, terming it a plot to splinter the mountain vote.
Analysts say the latest exchanges reflect growing cracks within Mt Kenya politics as 2027 approaches.
Karanja’s statement is expected to fuel debate further, especially since Nakuru remains a cosmopolitan county whose political leanings often mirror the national mood.
