Leave my 2022 presidential bid alone, Munya tells Kiraitu

Meru Governor Peter Munya has hit out at Senator Kiraitu Murungi saying he is unfit to advise him on his 2022 presidency ambitions.

This comes after Mr Murungi asked Mr Munya to back Deputy President William Ruto in 2022, saying his ambitions are premature.

But speaking during a meeting with teachers from Imenti Central and Imenti South on Sunday, Mr Munya said the senator is unfit to comment on party politics since he dissolved the Alliance Party of Kenya (APK) to join Jubilee.

The governor said Mr Murungi should give him space to pursue his ambitions, saying his former ally had “shied away from dreaming big at the height of his political career”.

SLEEP AND DREAM

“I did not ask Mr Murungi to help me in becoming president in 2022. This is my ambition and he is also free to sleep and dream. Mr Murungi should prepare for his retirement because when he was asked to become Mr Ruto’s running mate, he refused passionately,” Mr Munya said.

The Meru governor said since he took over the leadership of the Party of National Unity, he has faced a lot of opposition because he is a real threat in the 2022 presidential race.

“Mr Murungi dissolved the Alliance Party of Kenya yet it was our hope to ascending to national leadership. When I moved to PNU, he started all manner of battles starting with claims that it had been dissolved. We also had problems in gazettement of party officials. But we have won all these battles and will remain unstoppable,” he said.

Mr Munya added, “If I [am] a weak candidate for the 2022 presidential bid, PNU could not have faced such opposition.”

DOUBLE-SPEAK

He accused Mr Murungi of double-speak, saying the senator had backed him for the last three years before he changed tune.

He said Mr Murungi has nothing to show for his five years in the Senate, adding that time is ripe for the senator to retire after 25 years in politics.

The governor asked the teachers from Mr Murungi’s backyard to back him and help in “guarding his votes” during the August 8 elections.

While enumerating his track record, the Meru Governor said that Kinoru Stadium, one of his flagship projects, would be open for the Kenya Premier League games this month.

“My performance is one of the best among all county governments. I have transformed the health sector, overseen the growth of the cooperative movement, improved vocational and ECDE among others. I am asking for a chance to conclude the work I have been doing,” he said.

Mr Munya said under his watch, 1,700 ECDE and more than 100 vocational training teachers have been employed on permanent basis while county saccos have accumulated about Sh500 billion in savings.

The PNU leader has in the two months met teachers from across the county as he seeks support for his re-election bid.