Kangema Member of Parliament Muturi Kigano has suggested that Mbagathi road in Nairobi should be named after ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Muturi made the suggestion on Tuesday, July 6 while contributing to a petition filed at the house proposing the renaming of Karura Forest after Nobel Laurette Wangari Maathai.
In his submission, Muturi claimed that Raila was responsible for the stability of Mbagathi road since the former Prime Minister was the MP of Langata for more than a decade.
Muturi was backed by Narok North MP Moitalele Kenta who argued that Raila is an icon who deserves recognition.
The proposal by the MPs comes after a road named after Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli sparked public debate leading to the destruction of the signage.
The signpost which was reinstalled on May 30 after it was vandalised elicited mixed reactions with Kenyans dismissing the decision to honour the veteran trade unionist.
“Total disgrace to name a street in Nairobi after Atwoli. What are we telling poor workers he abandoned for the sake of my beloved Jubilee?
“He is a billionaire in a country where labour is enslaved by capital owners. He dines and wines with the rich and powerful,” protested prominent lawyer Ahmednasir Abdullahi.
However, Nairobi acting governor Anne Kananu remained firm, saying renaming the road was a gesture in recognition of Atwoli’s contributions during his decades-long career.
“This road has been renamed after my good friend and brother, Francis Atwoli, in recognition of his selfless contribution and agitating for the rights of Kenyan workers in the last 54 years,” Kananu said.
