No deal with Kalenjins on Ruto's 2022 bid, Kikuyu elders say
Kiambaa MP Paul Koinange (C) and former Transport Cabinet Secretary Michael Kamau pray with Kikuyu elders during their meeting at Kabiruini showground on December 31, 2018. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Wachira Kiago, the council's national chairman, noted on Monday that there is no debt to be paid as anyone can lead the country.
- This comes after Jubilee Party vice chairman David Murathe called on Mr Ruto to retire with the president in 2022, sparking debate and disagreements among various parties.
- Kiago also disowned a meeting with the Kalenjin council, that is said to have taken place place six years ago.
The Kikuyu Council of Elders says it has no deal with Kalenjin elders concerning Deputy President William Ruto's quest to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2022.
Wachira Kiago, the council's national chairman, noted on Monday that there is no debt to be paid as anyone can lead the country.
DEVELOPMENT
This comes after Jubilee Party vice chairman David Murathe called on Mr Ruto to retire with the president in 2022, sparking debate and disagreements among various parties.
The Kalenjin community had asked the Kikuyu elders to clarify their stance and not disown them.
Their Kikuyu counterparts insisted, however, that “there is no agreement with anyone".
Mr Kiago disowned a meeting with the Kalenjin council, that is said to have taken place place six years ago.
"There was no such meeting because we do not wish to mix ourselves with politics. We are focused on fostering unity," he said.
"We are advocating for unity [and will] not [support] those fostering divisive politics," he also said in Nyeri, during a prayer meeting on peace and unity in Kenya.
BENEFITS
Leaders at the meeting included Governor Mutahi Kahiga, national security chairman and Kiambaa MP Paul Koinange, Nyeri Town's Ngunjiri Wambugu and Nyeri speaker John Kaguchia.
Mr Koinange said they will only enter into a pact with a presidential candidate who outlines what the Kikuyu community will get in return.
He asked leaders to stop politicking and take advantage of the Jubilee government's development projects in their areas.
"Let's us all shelve politics and focus on infrastructure development to improve trade, health and food security," said the legislator.
The MP also asked leaders to work together in slaying the corruption dragon as it is derailing progress and burdening Kenyans with hefty taxes.
SECRET PACT
Mr Koinange's sentiments were echoed by the Nyeri Town MP, who said a third party in the pact between the president and deputy should not give Kikuyus directions.
"No one should give directions since the pact was a secret," he said.
The speaker said the Jubilee elections that Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru suggested will split the party further and raise temperatures in the country.
“They will spur conflict ... leaders should be peaching peace and unity to the populations,” he noted.
