Major Blow to President Ruto as a Bold Kikuyu Bishop Leads a Massive REVOLT Over the Nyeri Church STORM

The "revolt" was crystallized on Monday, January 26, 2026, when Bishop Timothy Gichere and the Kikuyu Council of Elders condemned the use of force at St. Peter's ACK Church in Othaya.

The bishop described the teargassing of women and children as an "unpardonable sin," leading to a massive withdrawal of support from religious leaders who previously backed the UDA government.

Despite President Ruto’s expressions of "deep regret" and promises of a probe, the clergy argue that his silence during the actual raid spoke louder than his post-chaos apologies.

Adding fuel to the fire is Mustafa Abdirashid’s viral opinion piece, "Gachagua’s Northern Mirror and the Crime of Bare Truth." Abdirashid argues that Gachagua’s recent attacks on the "thieving political vampires" of Northern Kenya have struck a chord precisely because they are true.

By claiming that over Sh1 trillion has been looted by local elites while children learn under trees, Gachagua "held up a mirror" that exposed the abandonment of voters by their own leaders. The outrage from the state, the piece claims, is not because the mirror lied, but because the reflection was too accurate.

The Othaya incident on Sunday, January 25, has provided the perfect "performance art" for Gachagua’s narrative of a "persecuted truth-teller."

Images of the former DP being forced to flee a sanctuary have validated his claims of being "targeted for speaking the truth." Even former Chief Justice David Maraga has weighed in, calling the administration a "government of criminals" for allowing the desecration of a church.

This cross-regional support from Mt. Kenya elders to Northern Kenya intellectuals suggests that Ruto’s attempt to isolate Gachagua is instead creating a broad-based "Alliance of the Aggrieved."

Strategically, the "Northern Mirror" analysis highlights a dangerous shift for the president. Gachagua is no longer just a "Mt. Kenya kingpin"; he is branding himself as an anti-corruption crusader who is "willing to go to jail" to expose how both the Mountain and the North have been betrayed by the Ruto-Odinga "Super Alliance."

This "bare truth" strategy is particularly effective among the youth who are disillusioned by the BETA agenda’s slow progress and the perceived "arrogance" of the new Cabinet.

As of Thursday, January 29, the President is in "damage control" mode. With the February 1 Jaramogi family meeting in Nairobi and the March UDA polls approaching, Ruto is desperately trying to regain the "religious high ground."

However, as Abdirashid’s column concludes, once a mirror has been held up and the reflection seen, it is impossible to go back to the "blind loyalty" of the past. The "crime" of speaking the bare truth may well be the catalyst that defines the 2027 General Election.