The Kikuyu Council of Elders has said the leaders hoping to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta will have to earn the position as it will not come easily.
The council, reacting to reports that some leaders are angling themselves to take over the mantle from Kenyatta, said they need to work hard.
Speaking to the Star, secretary-general Peter Munga said those who want the position must step out and demonstrate to all that they are equal to the task.
He said, at the moment, elders are yet to see a replacement for the President in his Mt Kenya backyard.
“Those who want this position must work hard in popularising the BBI and help the President in implementing the Big Four Agenda,” Munga said.
As Uhuru heads towards retirement in 2022, speculations are rife on who will succeed him as the Mt Kenya region kingpin.
But the remarks by KCE seem to suggest that Uhuru is still the undisputed king of the region and is not about to renounce this position any time soon.
Leaders from Mt Kenya are said to be piling pressure on Kenyatta to name his successor in a bid to tame his deputy William Ruto, who is keen on making inroads in the region.
Among those who have reportedly urged the President to name an heir is former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth.
Kenneth has increased his political activities in Central Kenya and other areas of the country. He has been touring Central, presiding as chief guest at various project launches.
Munga said the President is at the moment focused on implementing his manifesto.
“The President does not have to come out to name the kingpin. Just come out and show what you can do for the region,” he said.
Several bigwigs have lined up to succeed Kenyatta as Mt Kenya’s political supremo with one setting up a presidential secretariat two years to the 2022 polls.
Among them is Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria who has quietly established a presidential campaign centre, complete with a secretariat at an upscale estate in Nairobi.
Others are Governor Anne Waiguru, former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri and Health Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe, former Justice Minister and Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua and Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia.
Mt Kenya has a population of about 7.9 million, according to the 2019 population census, which by far is the country’s largest, making the region the epicentre of 2022 politics.