Youths set on fire copies of Pesa Mashinani booklets for signature collection

Residents of Mauchei ,in Nakuru county burning the Pesa mashinani signature booklets at Mauchei town after the Chairman council of governors Isaac Ruto and Kakamega Govorner Wyclif Oparanya launched the campaign in the area

Rowdy youths burnt several copies of the Pesa Mashinani booklet delivered to Mauche in Nakuru County for collection of signatures by the Council of Governors.

The youths confiscated the booklets from local United Republican Party (URP) officials shortly after they had received them from governors Isaac Ruto and Wycliffe Oparanya during he launch of the campaign at Kaptich trading centre.

Earlier, police thwarted an attempt by youths to disrupt a rally to sensitise residents on the referendum and launch of the signature collection.

The officers under the command of Inspector Wycliffe Nyagaya restrained themselves from using force to disperse the youths, who wanted to storm the rally.

After failing to gain access to the venue of the meeting, the more than 20 youths waving placards and chanting slogans decided to waylay the officials at the trading centre after the function. No one was injured during the incident.  

INCITEMENT

The youths accused Ruto and Oparanya of holding a meeting in the region without the blessings of Governor Kinuthia Mbugua and local URP officials.

But local URP leader Jonathan Ngeno accused local leaders opposed to the referendum of inciting and dishing out cash to the youth to disrupt the meeting.

"This is the kind of intolerance that we want the security agencies to address. The youth torched five books that were given to the leaders," said Rono, the URP Vice Chairman in Nakuru County.

Rono urged the police to investigate the incident and bring the culprits to book, saying those supporting the referendum must be given protection to continue with collection of signatures. 

WORKERS WARNED

Meanwhile, Nakuru County Commissioner Mohammed Birik has warned civil servants from the region against engaging in the ongoing referendum campaign after it emerged that a senior government officer was dishing out money to youth and distributing booklets for collection of signatures.

"Civil servants must keep off the referendum campaign. They should concentrate on implementing government policies and programmes, which is their core mandate," he said.

Birik said those civil servants campaigning for the vote were embarrassing the very government they were supposed to serve. It has emerged that the civil servants were using his office in Njoro constituency to distribute materials for the referendum campaign and were also dishing out money.