Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Jeremiah Kioni /HANDOUT

Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Jeremiah Kioni has urged Nyandarua Senator John Methu and Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro to end their public exchanges, warning that divisions within the Mt Kenya political leadership could undermine efforts to unite the Opposition ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Kioni called for a truce between the two politicians, who have been embroiled in a dispute over political influence in the region, including accusations and counter-accusations over alleged political manoeuvres.

Methu, the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) Secretary-General-designate, has questioned Nyoro’s political intentions following his move to the Peoples Party of Kenya (PPK), portraying the Kiharu MP as a possible state-backed political project.

Nyoro has dismissed the assertions.

In a statement on Wednesday, Kioni appealed to the two leaders to put aside their differences and focus on the broader interests of the country and the Mt Kenya region.

“To my Senator, Kaba Methu, and my younger brother, Hon. Ndindi Nyoro, we have been here before,” Kioni said.

He recalled the political divisions that characterised the run-up to the 2022 General Election, when rival camps within the Mt Kenya political establishment aligned themselves with competing factions.

“In 2022, we lost sight of the bigger plan and the bigger picture in the noise of Tangatanga and Kieleweke,” he said.

Kioni argued that the divisions had prevented the region from making deliberate and informed political choices, contributing to the leadership challenges it later faced.

“We must not make the same mistake again,” he said, urging Methu and Nyoro to bring their exchanges to an end.

The former Ndaragwa MP said the current political environment required cooperation rather than public confrontations, particularly as leaders prepared for the next electoral contest.

“At this critical moment in our country, and more so within our community, we need all hands on deck,” Kioni said.

He added that the two politicians should stop dwelling on who initiated the dispute or what each had said and instead concentrate on the interests of the people they represent.

“Who did what, who said what, who gave what, or who started what is no longer important. What matters now is the bigger picture, we have a country to serve,” he said.

Kioni also defended the right of political parties to participate in Opposition deliberations, saying disagreements over personalities, strategies and political formations should not override the national interest.

“Every political party has a right to sit at the table. That is part of the democratic space our founding fathers fought and sacrificed for,” he said.

His intervention comes as the United Opposition seeks to forge a common political front and agree on a single presidential candidate to challenge President William Ruto in 2027.

Kioni warned that the Opposition's efforts to build a united front would be undermined if its leaders continued engaging in public disputes.

“The country is looking to the United Opposition to provide a credible, united and single presidential candidate capable of facing the incumbent. But we cannot achieve that objective while we are publicly fighting amongst ourselves,” he said.

He urged the two leaders to lower political tensions, extend an olive branch to each other and prioritise cooperation over personal differences.

“There will always be differences, and there will always be another day to settle political scores. But this moment calls for maturity, restraint and unity. Let bygones be bygones,” Kioni said.