Youth, women demonstrate in support of besieged Waiguru

Ann Waiguru                      PHOTO: COURTESY

Kenya: Embattled Devolution Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru yesterday sustained her fight against her detractors, with women and youth demonstrating in the streets of Nairobi against a looming impeachment motion.

The demonstrators, waving placards marched from Uhuru Park and moved on to Haile Sellassie Avenue, where they temporarily interrupted the flow of traffic.

They stopped at Waiguru’s Harambee House offices where they expressed their solidarity with her and vented their anger toward Igembe South MP, Mithika Linturi, who has filed a notice of motion in the National Assembly seeking to impeach the CS.

“We are supporting the CS. Linturi should stop fighting the women of Kenya,” read some of the placards. Waiguru (pictured below) is under siege from a group of MPs who have vowed to impeach her over claims she was behind the removal of Kiplimo Rugut as National Youth Service Director and Gor Selemang’o as Youth Enterprise Fund chairman.

It was not clear who had organised yesterday’s demonstrations, which appeared well coordinated.

TNA Nairobi Branch vice chairman Bill Arocho said the demonstrations were intended to send a clear message to the CS’s detractors in the National Assembly. “Those who want to see the CS go are not acting in the best interests of the country. She is one of the best performing cabinet secretaries,” Arocho said.

Yesterday’s demonstrations appeared to be a follow up a statement of Friday by a group of MPs, among them Florence Kajuju (Meru) who defended Waiguru against the impeachment motion.

 “What is happening is merely a distraction from the real issues. She never signed any of the letter that led to the removal of the two officials,” Kajuju said on Thursday.

Along Harambee  Avenue, the demonstrators encountered a car belonging to Kitutu Chache North MP, Jimmy Angwenyi. They forced him to declare his position on the impeachment motion.

“I don’t support it,” the legislator declared before his car was allowed to pass through.