By Munene Kamau and John Majau
Concluding his central Kenya tour, Sabatia MP Musalia Mudavadi left the region with two new nicknames and a parting shot to voters that he is their best option for President.
While campaigning in Central Province, the Deputy Prime Minister was tagged with the Kikuyu name “Macharia”, while Meru elders gave him the name “M’Mukiri” when he sought their blessings in his bid for State House.
The United Democratic Forum (UDF) presidential hopeful literally camped in the Mt Kenya region since last week. Mudavadi asked his colleague and competitor for the top seat, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta to declare him “Tosha” and back him for State House.
He said he lost his Sabatia seat in 2002 because of backing Uhuru for the presidency which the latter went on to lose to President Kibaki.
Focus on future
Mudavadi pulled huge crowds during his tour, and told them in Kiswahili it was time for central Kenya to rudisha mkono (return the favour) by voting him for President.
As he concluded his Mt Kenya region tour yesterday, Mudavadi told those banking on reforms not to dwell on the past but focus on the future of the country.
Mudavadi said some of those aspiring for the State House job should be innovative by coming up with new ideas as opposed to always reminding Kenyans of the country’s dark past.
“Any true reformer is the one who has the aspirations of making this country an economic tiger and not empty rhetoric,” he said.
Speaking in Chuka town on Sunday evening as he wound up his three-day presidential tour through the Mt Kenya region, the Sabatia legislator said the next Head of State should be a person of high integrity.
“Those aspiring for the presidency yet they are fully aware they are of questionable integrity should stop wasting their time as Kenyans already know who should lead them,” he asserted.
