Nairobi — Beyond Central Kenya, it would have seemed that Defence minister Njenga Karume would be unbeatable on his Kiambaa home turf. It is therefore understandable why his defeat was received with surprise.

Mr Karume is in a group of men from Mt Kenya region who early in Mr Mwai Kibaki's presidency took promiment positions in government. Across the country, they were considered to define what was wrong with Mr Kibaki's presidency.

Others in this group included outgoing Kieni MP and former Cabinet minister Dr Chris Murungaru, Justice and Constitutional Affairs minister Ms Martha Karua, Cooperative Development minister Mr Njeru Ndwiga, Energy minister Mr Kiraitu Murungi, Environment minister Mr David Mwiraria, National Security minister Mr John Michuki and Finance minister Mr Amos Kimunya.

Mr Karume, a close confidant and trusted lieutenant of Mr Kibaki, lost his Kiambaa constituency seat to businessman Mr Stanley Munga Githunguri.

Mr Ndwiga was beaten in his bid to recapture the Manyatta seat by little-known matatu operator Mr Emilio Kathuri.

Mr Mwiraria lost his North Imenti seat to Mr Silas Muriuki. Dr Murungaru who was dropped from the Cabinet in 2005 immediately after the referendum lost his Kieni seat to Mr Nemesius Warugongo, a newcomer.

While Mr Michuki retained Kangema rather effortless and probably because he didn't have a credible challenger, Mr Jacktan Gutu had Ms Karua scared stiff and she had to pull all stops to hang to her Gichugu seat.

In the days before the elections, it was widely believed that Mr Murungi would be in serious trouble in South Imenti from a galaxy of opponents, including former Health Permanent Secretary Prof Julius Meme. But all of them performed rather dismally against Mr Murungi. Mr Kimunya also managed to retain his Kipipiri seat.

When Mr Kibaki named his Cabinet after taking over from former President Daniel Arap Moi in 2003, cracks immediately emerged over a pre-elections memorandum of understanding signed between leaders of various parties that came together to form Narc. The MoU reportedly provided for a power-sharing formula.

As the battle and eventual fallout over the MoU took shape, it were these politicians who emerged as Mr Kibaki's generals. They adopted a hardline approach to national issues including the constitutional debate which ended with the referendum in which the government was defeated by the opposition.

The opposition's ranks had been swelled by the renegade LDP wing of the coalition.

This group was seen as manifestly arrogant and drunk with power.

Variously, they were being referred to by the opposition as Mt Kenya Mafia, an unflattering term that in time became the blanket description for people from the entire Mt Kenya region.

Before the tempestuous Bomas constitution conference could be concluded the Anglo Leasing scandal exploded and Dr Murungaru, Mr Mwiraria and Mr Murungi got ensnared in its tentacles.

When the government lost the referendum, President Kibaki fired the entire Cabinet. When it was reconstituted, the name of Dr Murungaru was missing alongside those of ministers in the LDP wing of the ruling coalition.

After a lull, the Anglo Leasing ghost came calling again this time claiming the head of Mr Mwiraria who opted to resign to pave the way for investigations. Mr Murungi who was also implicated in a plot to cover up Anglo Leasing by former Governance and Ethics PS Mr John Githongo was eased out of government.

With the Anglo Leasing scandal hanging over Kibaki's government and the referendum debacle, the President was getting a thorough bashing from the opposition, which was already writing his political obituary.

But as the image of Mr Kibaki suffered serious damage nationally, his support in Central Kenya remained total. However, and perhaps unnoticed by the rest of the country, people in the region had identified his key men as liabilities to his presidency.

The charges of corruption directed at some of them did little to endear them to Central Kenya residents. The general idea was that Mr Kibaki was clean and it is his point men who were giving him a bad name. Questions were being raised about the sudden wealth some of them appeared to have acquired. Indeed there was suppressed frustration that Mr Kibaki was failing in his duty - by not offloading them.

There was quiet resentment that in addition to putting the entire community in the line of unnecessary flak, they had continued to widen the schism between the Mt Kenya community and the rest of the country by constantly refusing to mutually engage leaders from other regions when it came to matters of national import.

That Mr Kibaki made several and costly blunders is not in doubt. Alongside holding important government ministries they were perceived to have the President's ear and were therefore in a position to give him sound advice. As far as Mr Kibaki's loyal flock was concerned, they had failed to tell the captain where and when the ship was leaking.

This in turn was perceived as tantamount to mismanaging the presidency; that had they been more circumspect in their actions and utterances, Mr Kibaki would have been a popular President throughout the land.

By the time the polls were called voters in Central Kenya had decided that it was time to punish some of those leaders for their sins of omission and commission.

The only minister who was defeated and who did not fit in this group was Mr Mutahi Kagwe - regarded as a sober mind. His defeat was more as result of the kind of opponent he was dealing with and the political dynamics of Mukurwe-ini constituency.