Rift Valley elders ask Governor Joho to Respect the president and his deputy
What you need to know:
- The elders noted that all elected leaders should be respected and allowed to serve their entire terms.
- They warned Governor Joho against undermining the office of the deputy president.
- The elders regretted that some leaders have resorted to abusive language.
Elders from the Rift Valley have called upon Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho to respect Deputy President William Ruto and stop engaging him in a war of words.
Led by the Rift Valley Council of Elders said President Uhuru Kenyatta and Mr Ruto are valid elected national leaders who deserve respect from county leaders.
The elders noted it was unfortunate that some leaders were not according the Head of State and his deputy the respect they deserve.
In a resolution read by Chairman Gilbert Kabage on Monday evening, the elders noted that all elected leaders should be respected and allowed to serve their entire terms and warned Governor Joho against undermining the office of the deputy President.
“We do not want premature campaigns in the country since the next General Election is still far away. Governor Joho must accept that he is junior and stop undermining the Presidency and the deputy Presidency,” said Mr Kabage.
They want Governor Joho to publicly apologize for disrespecting Mr Ruto.
“We have given Governor Joho an ultimatum to apologize for disrespecting the deputy President. If he doesn’t do so we will curse him,” said another elder Mr Kahatu.
They warned politicians against fanning hatred, saying the events after the 2007/2008 disputed presidential poll must be avoided at all costs.
Elders present included John Kipkogei, Samuel Kiplangat, John Koech, Gabriel Kimani and John Kahatu.
The elders regretted that some leaders have resorted to abusive language, setting up bad political precedent in the country.
The elders have cited the derogatory language used by Joho last week to refer to Mr Ruto's leadership, saying the behaviour must be tamed by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission.
“Where the Francis Ole Kaparo led team when all this is happening. NCIC must crack whip on errant politicians,” said an elder Mr Koech.
The deputy president and the Mombasa governor who also serves as deputy party leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) have been tearing into each other with Mr Joho criticizing Mr Ruto over failure to tame graft in the national government, saying he has had no moral authority to lecture other leaders on matters corruption.
On his part, Mr Ruto has hit out at Joho, saying he has no time to engage him on “cheap political contests” and propaganda.
He has also on some occasion referred to Governor Joho as an 'academic dwarf’.
