Mbarire declares war on UDA insiders over secret ouster plot

Speaking during Madaraka Day celebrations at Makima Primary School in Mbeere South, Embu County, Mbarire alleged that powerful individuals based in Nairobi have been convening clandestine meetings in the county to plan local political moves — without involving her or other elected leaders.

“There are some leaders who are serving in government and are doing night meetings in Embu to plan for Embu politics without involving me and other elected leaders,” Mbarire said during her address. “Those officers from Nairobi who are coming to hold night meetings to fight elected leaders lack respect and pretend to understand our local politics.”

The governor, visibly frustrated, claimed her loyalty to the ruling coalition has not only gone unappreciated, but is now being repaid with betrayal.

“If there is anyone who has suffered because of supporting the government, it is me,” she asserted. “We traversed the whole of Embu with MCAs and my deputy, asking people to support the government so as to benefit — and now you are coming all the way from Nairobi to disrupt Embu.”

Mbarire, who has served as the party’s national chair since UDA came to power, did not name the individuals she claims are behind the plot but promised to unmask them if the attacks on her leadership continue.

“I dare you to come back to Embu again,” she warned. “We will deal with each other man-to-man. I am a leader elected by the people of Embu County, and you are going to respect me. I will not allow anyone to sabotage or bypass me.”

Her remarks come amid simmering political tension in the Mt. Kenya region, where UDA’s grip appears increasingly tested by internal power plays and growing opposition activity.

The cracks first became visible last year, when President William Ruto was heckled during a public event in Embu. The fallout was swift. In a speech earlier this year, Interior Cabinet Secretary Prof. Kithure Kindiki — himself a senior Mt. Kenya figure — issued a pointed critique of Mbarire’s leadership.

“You are the national chairperson of UDA, and you're a UDA governor,” Kindiki said at the time. “Your party leader, the president, comes to your hometown and is heckled — what reasons do we have to have you onboard? How is that possible?”

Tensions flared again on Friday, when Mbarire was conspicuously absent during Kindiki’s visit to Embu. Her handlers later claimed she had not been informed of the Deputy President’s impromptu tour — a move widely seen as a deliberate snub