Can Uhuru’s supporters abandon him for supporting Raila?
President Uhuru Kenyatta has previously come close to publicly backing his deputy William Ruto for the top seat in 2022, calming fears that his March 9 handshake with ODM leader Raila Odinga would eventually leave Mr Ruto in the cold.
However, Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri has warned that the head of State’s close association with Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga will cause his followers to abandon him.
He claimed Mr Odinga wants to ruin the good relationship the President and DP Ruto have had since 2013, when they first vied for the top offices.
“What we know is that the deputy president has stood with us. It is important for residents to see the two principals working together like they did before. We are not opposed to his handshake with Mr Odinga but to seeing him push Dr Ruto away.”
The legislator further noted that the peace enjoyed in the Rift Valley resulted from the good working relationship between the two leaders so any form of betrayal will likely change the status quo.The MP was speaking when he led a peaceful demonstration in Nakuru town in protest against President Uhuru Kenyatta’s dismissal of politicians saying he has ignored the Mt Kenya region.
“We have launched this movement to show the President that 8.2 million voters are not fools. The people who voted for him are disappointed by the direction he is taking,” he said.
Mr Ngunjiri further said he was disappointment with Mr Kenyatta for what he termed a calculated move to sideline Deputy President William Ruto who wants to succeed Mr Kenyatta when he finishes his second and final term.
The member of parliament led youths in a march on Kenyatta Avenue as they shouted “Mimi ni mshenzi (I am a fool).”
While speaking in Mombasa ,the President dismissed as washenzi, people who who “think development should go to the people where a leader comes from” should be ashamed of themselves”.
Mr Kenyatta told the public that he values his friendship with Mr Odinga and reiterated that their goal is countrywide development.
The president’s remarks painted him as angered by criticism concerning development in Mt Kenya.
Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, one of those who have been critical of the President, said the people of that region must be told the truth ahead of the 2022 election so they can pick the right leaders.
He later apologised to President Kenyatta, saying he respects him.
On Tuesday, however, Mr Kuria issued remarks that were seen as a show of defiance.
Amid subtle prompting from local leaders over claims that the handshake had caused friction between him and his deputy, President Uhuru Kenyatta blamed the media for the reports.
“What I told you here last time is the same: newspapers will write things. Let us look at what we are doing. What is important is your lives. Let them write what they want but I don’t care. I will still sleep at night,” said the President.