Othaya: Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has urged voters in the Mount Kenya region to shun what he described as anger-driven and short-sighted politics. He instead called on them to embrace leadership focused on long-term development.
According to Kenya News Agency, Kagwe shared his thoughts on Sunday during a church service at the ACK St. Paul’s Church, Kariki, in Othaya. He was in the company of President Dr. William Ruto and his Deputy Prof. Kithure Kindiki. Kagwe urged the region to think strategically about its place in national politics and to avoid emotional politics that isolate it from government. He warned that the region, known for the habit of voting just to punish politicians, risks undermining its political strength. He called on the electorate to nurture and retain their leaders.
Kagwe emphasized the importance of allowing leaders to serve and complete their initiatives, stating, ‘We are not people who jump with emotions every time and spend all our energy criticising everything. That is not leadership. Development comes when you allow good leaders to serve, to grow, and to complete what they started.’
He highlighted that other voting blocs in Kenya have grown powerful politically and economically because they invest in their leaders over time. This investment allows leaders to accumulate experience, influence, and networks that eventually benefit their people. Kagwe asserted, ‘Leadership is grown, not rented for one term. You cannot uproot your crops every five years and expect a harvest.’
The CS was joined by several government officials, including Principal Secretaries Alex Wachira, Betsy Njagi, and Mary Muthoni, as well as Nyeri Governor Dr. Mutahi Kahiga, and other local representatives. Kagwe commended President Ruto for his political maturity, citing his own appointment to the Agriculture and Livestock Development docket despite not supporting Ruto in the 2020 elections, describing it as ‘leadership with wisdom.’
Additionally, Kagwe called on church leaders to pray for wisdom among Kenyans, emphasizing the need for leaders and voters to make future-oriented decisions rather than those driven by anger or revenge. He affirmed his commitment to President Ruto’s Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda and pledged to support the administration beyond the next general election, advocating for continuity, stability, and lasting systems for prosperity in Mount Kenya and the country as a whole.
