A fresh political quarrel has erupted in the Mt Kenya region after Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku and Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira traded sharp words over a proposal to split the populous region into two distinct blocs, one for the east and one for the west. The idea, floated by a section of leaders allied to the government, is being sold as a way to give each part of the region a stronger and more focused voice in national affairs. Supporters argue that the Mt Kenya area is too large and too diverse to be treated as a single political unit, and that an east and west arrangement would sharpen its bargaining power. Ruku and Wachira see it very differently from each other, and their disagreement spilled into the open this week. One camp casts the split as a practical step toward better representation, while the other warns it is a divide and rule tactic that could weaken the region at the very moment it needs to speak with one voice. The timing is no accident. The Mt Kenya vote is among the most consequential in the country, and the region has been unusually restless since the dramatic fallout between the top two offices in the land. Every realignment, every new bloc and every fresh alliance is now read as positioning ahead of the next general election. For residents, the noise can feel distant from daily worries about the cost of living, coffee and tea earnings, and jobs for young people. Yet the outcome of this argument could shape who speaks for them, and how loudly, in the rooms where budgets and appointments are decided. What is clear is that the contest for the soul of the Mt Kenya vote is far from settled, and this latest spat is unlikely to be the last word. Source: [The Star](https://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2026-06-16-cs-ruku-ps-wachira-clash-over-calls-to-split-mt-kenya-region)