‘Apologize for insulting Water CS’ – Angry leaders tell Murang’a Women Rep as political war escalates
The political war between Murang'a Woman Representative Betty Maina and Water Cabinet Secretary (CS) Alice Wahome has escalated after a group of leaders accused the former of having a loose mouth and demeaning women.
The Murang'a leaders led by Member County Assembly (MCA) Diana Muthoni (Kandara) and Abiria Chege (Mathioya) warned Maina against attacking the CS, stressing that the sustained attacks might not only derail water developments in Murang’a but could also interfere with the relationship the county enjoys with President William Ruto.
The bad blood between the Wahome and Maina emanated from the just concluded by-election in Kandara constituency which caused divisions among UDA leaders in the county.
Maina called out the CS for allegedly failing to support the UDA candidate Chege Njuguna who emerged as the winner after he garnered 21,650 votes and instead supported a candidate from another party.
According to the county Women Rep, Wahome’s bitterness with Chege stemmed from his bid to vie for the seat against her in last year’s general elections when the now MP-elect came second.
But addressing journalists in Thika, the Murang’a leaders told off Maina for disrespecting the female CS.
While urging Maina to apologize for her ‘loose mouth’, the leaders insisted that women should support their own and should not tolerate insults, adding that the Women Rep has been thriving in politics through insults to other leaders.
Martha Wanjiru, an elderly woman from Murang'a county told Maina to go for lessons from her on how to live a dignified life free from insults and theatrics.
“You are very young Betty Maina and should come for lessons on how to live harmoniously with people including but not limited to dressing and respecting those in authority. We are very disturbed that you insulted our CS in the presence of other women. As women, we must learn to respect each other,” Wanjiru said.
During the presser, Peter Mbugua another leader thanked president Ruto for appointing Wahome as the Cabinet Secretary for Water.
Mbugua however regretted that the war could further degenerate into splitting the ruling coalition, especially in the vote-rich Mt Kenya region that has produced the second in command.
“These divisions are not healthy at all especially for us in Mount Kenya who are fully behind our president. We don’t want to have Ruto and Rigathi Gachagua camps here, we want to move forward as a united team,” Mbugua said.
