In the long rhythm of Kenyan politics, loyalty is rarely permanent — it is earned, lost, and fought for again. President William Ruto, who once carried Mt Kenya by an overwhelming mandate, now finds himself campaigning to reclaim a region that drifted away after the dramatic impeachment of his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, in October 2024. With the August 2027 election drawing near, Ruto's government has deployed officials and allies into the resistant heartland of Mt Kenya West, seeking to remind a skeptical electorate that proximity to power still runs through Nairobi — and through him.