You are being played, Uhuru allies tell Gachagua and Nyoro

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, President WIlliam Ruto and Kiharu Mp Ndindi Nyoro during the burial ceremony of Martha Kirigo in Nyeri county. [PCS]

A section of Jubilee leaders now claims the political upheavals in Mt Kenya region is part of President William Ruto's game plan to have Kenya Kwanza government allied leaders to join his team.  

The leaders alleged that the political divisions being witnessed in Mt Kenya was a ploy to deny the region political say, dominance and bargaining power.

They urged UDA leaders led by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to consider joining Jubilee to strategise how to sponsor a presidential candidate in 2027.  

Led by National Assembly Minority Whip Mark Mwenje, Starehe MP Amos Mwago, Jubilee Deputy Organizing Secretary General Pauline Njoroge and more than 10 former elected leaders, they said the Mt Kenya stood to suffer under the Kenya Kwanza administration and there is need to establish unity of purpose. 

"UDA allied leaders have been pushed to the corner and don't have a say, given the prevailing political situation in our region, there seems to be concerted efforts to put our region in the periphery in future political game plans and this calls for unity," Mwenje said.  

The leaders who attended a funds drive at Mountain of Joy Celebrations in Limuru on Sunday accused the President of using a divide and rule tactic to deny Mt Kenya unity of purpose.  

"We need to go back to the drawing board and come up with a plan that will see one of our leaders in this region vie for the presidency. Nobody should make us believe that we can only fight for the running mate position while we have numbers that can help us ascend to Presidency," Mwago said.  

The leaders said that while other regions have their parties intact, Mt Kenya politicians leaders were duped to leave their party to join UDA.  

Owen Ngugi, former Kikuyu Jubilee parliamentary  candidate claimed that the "sponsored infighting" was aimed at removing Mt Kenya from the succession matrix and it is high time the region remained alert.

The push for a political vehicle for the mountain region was started last week by a UDA Senator Wahome Wamatinga (Nyeri) who claimed that the region was being sidelined by the Kenya Kwanza administration.

"We need to go back to evaluate and ask ourselves various serious questions about our political future like the status of development. We may not complain about the appointment of our people in government but we must probe the strength of the appointments," Wamatinga said.

"So far so good but we live the life of probabilities, moving forward our community must agree to form a party that has a sense of belonging to us and failure so that we shall cry at the periphery," he added.

His sentiments were echoed by MPs Wanjiru Chege (Jubilee) Gathoni Wamuchomba (Githunguri) among other leaders.  

"We ought to learn from Maendeleo Chap Chap, Pamoja African Alliance, Amani National Congress and Ford Kenya that propelled Cabinet Secretary for Tourism Afred Mutua, Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula respectively into the offices," said Wamatinga last week on a vernacular radio station. 

"The leaders who happen to be the party leaders had their pre-election pact which they signed and deposited to the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties before elections. The parties have a voice in the Kenya Kwanza administration," Chege said. 

Yesterday, the leaders claimed that the government policies were to the detriment of Mt Kenya region 'whose inhabitants are traders and entrepreneurs.'

"The tolls that will be introduced by the Ministry of Roads will hit us (Mt Kenya region) while our people will be the most taxed when it comes to the issue of the housing levy," said former Limuru MP Peter Mwathi.  

Mwathi slammed the Housing Bill being subjected to public participation, saying it seeks to introduce additional tax to the traders. 

"For every Sh100 that traders will get at the market, the county government will tax it while part of the proceeds will go to the housing fund scheme, the proposal's only cure is rejection at the National Assembly," he said. 

According to the Jubilee Organizing Secretary, the Ruto led administration had gotten it wrong by claiming it was pushing for job creation yet local companies were closing down due to increased taxes.  

"Their actions on policy framework points at decreasing job opportunities in Kenya as many companies have closed down to the punitive taxes by this regime, how do they claim to seek opportunities to our youth while punishing them with the house levies?" Posed Njoroge. 

"The Kenya Kwanza administration has not explained to Kenyans how they are taxing them to build the affordable housing while after completion, they sell the same at Sh3.2 million with a requirement of 10 per cent and monthly payment of Sh15,000. Where will the total amount go given that the houses have been constructed through levies?" Posed former Kiambu Town MP Jude Njomo.