Man in Meru plans to sell property to campaign for Uhuru
Mr Zablon Mukiira, 78, at his home in Meru. The former Mau Mau says he wants to sell his property including a Sh10 million plot to campaign for President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election. PHOTO | KEN BETT | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- He also revealed that he intends sell a prime plot in the outskirts of Meru Town if he runs out of campaign money.
- The former Mau Mau fighter and a father of six is unmoved by pleas from his sons not to sell his property.
- His wife and their two sons are against the idea and have been begging him to abandon his plans.
A 78-year-old man from Nkabune in Meru County has shocked his family after he vowed to sell all his property and channel the funds to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election campaign.
Mr Zablon Mukiira, who says he has voted in the general elections since the 1970s, took the radical decision over what he said is a threat posed to Mr Kenyatta’s re-election by the opposition.
He has told his family he intends to sell a bull and three sheep to campaign for UhuRuto across Meru County.
Mr Mukiira has also revealed that he intends sell a prime plot in the outskirts of Meru Town if he runs out of money before accomplishing his mission.
COUNTER NASA WAVE
He says he came up with the radical decision after he learnt that Nasa flagbearer Raila Odinga is enjoying significant support in parts of Meru and Tharaka-Nithi counties.
When the Nation visited Mr Mukiira at his home, the former Mau Mau fighter and a father of six was unmoved by pleas from his sons not to sell his property.
“I will sell my only bull at Sh40,000 and three sheep at Sh25,000 to campaign for the president because I feel some people don’t want to vote for him. I believe in his leadership because he has done a lot for us in the last five years. I will move from village to village to tell the people what the Jubilee government has done,’’ Mr Mukiira said.
His wife, Esther Mukiira, and their two sons, Gregory Mukiiria and Dominic Mutethia, are against the idea and have been begging him to abandon his plans for the last two months.
FAMILY AFRAID
“We are afraid that our father will make true his threat because he has been asking us to look for buyers. If he succeeds to sell the livestock, he is likely to auction the plot too. He is not ready to listen to anyone including fellow elders,” said Gregory.
The son noted that the two-acre prime plot sits adjacent to Nkabune Technical Training Institute and could fetch up to Sh10 million.
“A former top government official has been asking my father to sell the land but he refused. Now that he is obsessed with campaigning for the president, he might let it go,” Gregory lamented.
The old man said he does not care who wins in the local political arena but wants Mr Kenyatta elected.
JUBILEE ACHIEVEMENTS
“The president has completed the standard gauge railway, increased electricity connectivity and supported free primary education. He has also introduced free maternity which enabled my daughters-in-law to give birth for free in public hospitals. I also get a monthly stipend from the government,’’ he said.
He said he would target parts of Imenti and Nyambene, where the opposition is gaining ground, to campaign for the president.
“There are few people who want to vote [for another candidate] and they may influence others. That is why I want to campaign for the president,’’ he said.
MET MZEE KENYATTA
Mr Mukiira said as a former Mau Mau fighter, he used to meet with Kenya’s first president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in Embu, something that endears him to the current president.
The old man’s fears may have been driven by constant Nasa campaigns in Meru led by Mr Odinga where he has received warm reception.
Recently, Meru Governor Peter Munya, speaking on a television show, said that the Nasa coalition has substantial support in Nyambene region.
Earlier, Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi had admitted that the Jubilee government was facing resistance in his home turf due to unfulfilled promises including road projects.
