Elders endorse Speaker Muturi candidature for top seat
National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has been endorsed to represent the interests of the Mt Kenya community both locally and at the national level.
He was also given an okay to run for the presidency on Democratic Party (DP) ticket as per the wishes and aspirations of the community by the Kirinyaga Chapter of the Kiama Kia Ma (Party of Truth).
The chapter leader, Mwangi wa Magondu, who is also the Chief Priest conducted the brief traditional ceremony to bestow Muturi with the leadership mantle of the vote-rich region, held at the Rose Park Resort, Kutus town on Tuesday.
Muturi urged the community not to agree to be dragged into some political parties whose interests was to use some community members as their marketing managers and salesmen.
“When you critically look at some of the parties whose bases are well known, those who market them vigorously are none other than ‘salesmen and women’ from the Mt Kenya region yet we do not see the vice versa for the region’s parties,” he noted.
Muturi further castigated those who have been labeling the DP as a mere village party and asked such critics to respect the wishes of the region.
“Our Mt Kenya community has decided to back their own as is happening with parties from the other regions and further it’s not a crime for any one community in the country to form a political party since Kenya is a multi-party State,” he said.
Muturi likened some parties with a pickup truck which gets loaded with some belongings while the driver and his turn boy sit comfortably at the front seat and when the brakes are suddenly applied, some of the luggage gets thrown out of the vehicle and scatters on the road.
Nomination certificate
“This is a clear illustration of how some parties kick out those who are not from their bases when time comes to make certain in-house decisions like who should get an automatic nomination certificate,” he intimated.
Muturi, whose two-year term as the National Assembly Speaker comes to an end after the coming August 9 General Election also wondered why some elected leaders from the region were being used to hurl insults and to show disrespect to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“Much as it is their democratic right to support parties of their choice, it is regrettable that their counterparts from where these parties have bases never insult their own and I wonder what has gone wrong with our people,” said Muturi.
He said Uhuru is still the Head of State whose leadership and captainship the Jubilee Party will depend on from now henceforth until the general election is over and added that he should be respected at all costs.
The Speaker is expected to launch his presidential campaigns across the country soon and hit the road running to scout for votes like other presidential hopefuls.
- KNA
