National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi Coronated as Mt. Kenya Spokesperson

National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has been coronated as Mt. Kenya region spokesperson.

Muturi was installed during a ceremony held at Mukurwe wa Nyagathanga shrine in Murang’a County on Saturday.

“In the shrine, the top most elders of Kikuyu are called Maturagu. They are holding a prayer for Mr. Muturi and also blessing him because the journey he is about to take is a tough one,” an elder at the coronation was quoted as saying.

His coronation follows eight-day seclusion in his house, where Muturi underwent cultural cleansing, according to reports.

During the period, he was allegedly restricted to a special diet and only met with elders who have undergone cleansing.

The ordination prepares Muturi to take over as the region’s kingpin from president Kenyatta, who retires next year.

“There will be all forms of opinions but the idea is to be able to reach out to everybody through persuasion, consultation, and discussion,” Muturi stated.

The decision to install Muturi as Gema spokesperson has caused sharp divisions among Kikuyu elders and political leaders.

Ndung’u Wa Gaithuma, national chairman of ‘Kiama Kia Ma’, and his deputy Njoroge wa Mugo distanced themselves from the ceremony, saying it was inspired by greed and is against the Agikuyu culture. 

But Kiama Kia Ma Murang’a branch chairman Kiarii Rugami, who presided over the ceremony said, “Muturi is the one to unite the region since a majority of politicians have failed to give direction to the people.”

Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru and his counterparts Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru) and Mwangi wa Iria (Murang’a) downplayed Muturi’s coronation, saying it has no political impact.

“We have other places that can be used for political activities but not the shrine,” said Governor Wa Iria.