‘Tanga Tanga’ to demand respect for DP in Naivasha
Two factions of elected leaders from the Rift Valley are today expected to take a position on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) taskforce report after a retreat in Naivasha and Kajiado.
They will also discuss the 2022 election as the President Uhuru Kenyatta succession race begins to crystallise.
According to insiders who did not want to be named, one faction, which has mobilised more than 100 legislators allied to Deputy President William Ruto, will meet at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in Naivasha while the other group, led by Tiaty MP William Kamket will converge at the Maasai Lodge in Kajiado county.
Kamket, who supports the Kieleweke group that backs the March 9, 2018 handshake between President Uhuru and opposition leader Raila Odinga, is fierce critic of Ruto. He is one Rift Valley politician who wants his party leader Gideon Moi to take a stab at the presidency.
Declare support
Kamket said their meeting was mooted because not all elected leaders from the Rift Valley region support Ruto.
“We are having a meeting tomorrow in Maasai lodge where we shall discuss matters that concern us as residents of Rift valley. Of course the elephant in the room is the BBI which we are going to take a position on.”
But a number of MPs loyal to Ruto, who spoke to the People Daily, said during the Naivasha meeting they will be expected to declare their support for DP and demand he be accorded the respect he deserves.
The legislators, who did not want to be named, expressed their concern over the continued bashing of Ruto by senior civil servants. They said it was high time Ruto was respected by all civil servants.
Said one MP: “We have decided to go to Naivasha not only because of this BBI thing but because we are now tired of how Ruto continues to be treated. It is high time we also demand that he should be respected.”
Parliament route
Aldai MP Cornelly Serem said they expected all leaders from the Rift Valley to attend the Naivasha meeting, saying important matters will be deliberated on.
Serem said legislators from the region decided to engage one another on their own after President Uhuru Kenyatta declined to meet them.
“We are going to Naivasha to deliberate on a few issues as well as take a position on this BBI report,”he said.
Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri, who will also be attending, confirmed they would not only be demanding that Ruto is respected but also call on Uhuru to stop isolating the Kikuyu community from other communities.
He said: “I will definitely be there, but what we are saying is that the Deputy President should be accorded all the respect that he deserves.”
The leaders, under the aegis of Rift Valley Parliamentary Group (RVPG), will oppose the calls for a referendum being pushed by ODM MPs.
It was understood that during the two-day retreat, the legislators would insist the document be taken to Parliament as opposed to being subjected to a referendum.
The MPs insist having the document implemented through Parliament would not only save on costs but also prevent the country from being plunged into an election mood before 2022.
The legislators are expected to ask the relevant agencies to fast-track implementation of the BBI report.
They also plan to call for the strengthening of governance institutions dealing with corruption as well as push for the removal of “untouchable” individuals in government undermining its integrity.
