{"id":165,"date":"2026-08-07T13:44:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T13:44:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/?p=165"},"modified":"2026-08-07T13:44:08","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T13:44:08","slug":"muturi-munya-and-kivuti-reject-calls-to-fold-mount-kenya-parties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/?p=165","title":{"rendered":"Muturi, Munya and Kivuti Reject Calls to Fold Mount Kenya Parties"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By Cynthia Kituku <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/39183-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-166\" srcset=\"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/39183-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/39183-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/39183-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/39183-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/39183.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Democratic Party (DP) leader Justin Muturi (centre), accompanied by Party of National Unity (PNU) leader Peter Munya (right) and Devolution Empowerment Party (DEP) leader Lenny Kivuti (left), address the media during a joint press briefing where they defended multiparty democracy and opposed calls for political parties in the Mount Kenya region to dissolve into a single outfit.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Political divisions in the Mount Kenya region continue to deepen after Democratic Party (DP) leader Justin Muturi joined other regional leaders in opposing attempts to pressure political parties into dissolving in favor of a single outfit.Speaking during a joint media briefing, Muturi, Party of National Unity (PNU) leader Peter Munya, and Devolution Empowerment Party (DEP) leader Lenny Kivuti criticized efforts they claim are aimed at forcing regional parties to merge with the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), which is associated with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.The leaders insisted that no individual has been given the authority to determine the political direction of the Mount Kenya region. They argued that leadership should be built on public trust, consultation, and service rather than intimidation or demands for political conformity.According to the three leaders, the region&#8217;s political future should be decided by its people through democratic processes, not by declarations from a single political figure. They maintained that all established leaders deserve respect and equal opportunity to engage residents without intimidation.The coalition also referred to previous political administrations, noting that former President Uhuru Kenyatta did not compel leaders from the region to join the Jubilee Party despite serving as the country&#8217;s Head of State. They argued that political competition and diversity have always existed in the region.The dispute has intensified following recent by-elections, including the Mbeere North contest, where some leaders accused Gachagua of interfering in local political affairs and contributing to divisions that affected electoral outcomes.The leaders further questioned what they described as inconsistencies in Gachagua&#8217;s political approach. While urging local parties to dissolve and unite under one banner, they observed that he continues to engage with political parties from other regions through alliances.They emphasized that Kenya&#8217;s Constitution guarantees citizens the freedom to associate with political parties of their choice under Article 38, adding that multiparty democracy remains a key pillar of the country&#8217;s governance.The three leaders reaffirmed their commitment to protecting political diversity in the Mount Kenya region, saying residents should be free to support parties and leaders of their choice without coercion or political pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Cynthia Kituku Democratic Party (DP) leader Justin Muturi (centre), accompanied by Party of National&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=165"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":167,"href":"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/165\/revisions\/167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=165"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=165"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/updateplug.co.ke\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=165"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}