Jubilee bigwigs clash as Nasa seeks Meru vote

The scramble for the control of Meru politics between Jubilee and Nasa has prompted a vicious war of words between the county’s bigwigs.

Senator Kiraitu Murungi and a team leaning to his camp has directed its guns on Governor Peter Munya, terming him a "Nasa mole" in Jubilee.

But Mr Munya’s Party of National Unity (PNU) has turned the blazing guns against the senator, accusing him of sabotaging its support for the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

And the opposition, through Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is giving the two Jubilee camps sleepless nights as it intensifies its hunt for the Meru vote targeting to get 300,000 votes from the region.

But it is the rivalry between Governor Munya and Senator Murungi that is nastier.

ENDORSE UHURU

During a campaign rally at the weekend in Githongo, Imenti Central led by Mr Murungi, Igembe South MP Mithika Linturi, who is seeking the Senate seat together with several parliamentary and Ward representative aspirants from across the county, accused Mr Munya of secretly helping the Opposition to gain ground in the county.

Mr Linturi dared Mr Munya to lead PNU delegates in endorsing President Kenyatta’s reelection just like four other parties did on Saturday.

“We saw Kanu, Narc Kenya, EFP and Maendeleo Chap Chap parties endorsing the president in his presence. We did not see PNU hold such a meeting. This is why we are saying PNU is backing Nasa candidates,” Mr Linturi said.

Mr Murungi said Mr Munya was not genuine in his support for President Kenyatta.

"We know Mr Munya and his government financed Nasa flagbearer Raila Odinga's tour in Meru two months ago,” claimed Mr Murungi.

He added: “He should know that we are aware that he has been meeting Opposition chiefs to plan how to sell the coalition in Meru. That will never happen because Meru is a Jubilee zone.”

‘DARK FORCES’

But speaking to the Nation by phone on Monday, PNU Secretary General John Okemwa dismissed the claims and insisted the party supports Mr Kenyatta’s bid for a second term as President.

He accused ‘some dark forces’ of ensuring PNU was not informed of plans to have parties friendly to the president to hold delegate’s conferences to endorse Mr Kenyatta.

“We are aware that individuals including Senator Murungi who are fighting our party leader did not want us to know of the Saturday meetings.

“Other parties received requests to hold the special delegates meetings but we were left out. However, that does not change our resolve to support Mr Kenyatta,” Mr Okemwa said.

According to him, there was an elaborate scheme to leave out PNU from the Saturday endorsements so as to start a smear campaign against Mr Munya by linking him to Nasa.

“I know this is all about Mr Munya’s 2022 ambitions to vie for the Presidency. We will book an appointment with the president and inform him that we were sidelined by some forces,” he said.

“Our delegates met last year and resolved to support the president’s re-election,” he added.

JUBILEE ZONE

Meanwhile, Mr Linturi downplayed sentiments by former Imenti Central MP Kirugi M’Mukindia that Nasa was gaining ground in Meru.

“We are here at Mr M’Mukindia’s backyard to confirm whether you sent him to Mr Odinga to say that Meru has joined Nasa,” he told a crowd.

This comes even after Mr Odinga said the opposition was making inroads in areas considered to be pro-jubilee including Meru and Tharaka-Nithi counties.

Meru ODM coordinator Mike Makarina has since said the opposition was eying over 300,000 votes in Meru and Tharaka-Nithi counties.

Mr Makarina, who is Mr Odinga’s point man in the region, said the Opposition had put in place strategies to deny Jubilee a clear win there.