By Nyaboga Kiage,
Mt Kenya governors on Monday told off Irungu Kang’ata, who is the Senate Chief Whip, over his move to pen a letter to President Uhuru Kenyatta telling him that the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) is unpopular in the region.
Kang’ata on Sunday, January 3, 2020, penned to President Kenyatta informing him that he should personally spearhead BBI campaigns in the Mt Kenya region to win the people over.
However, govenors Francis Kimemia (Nyandarua), Kiraitu Murungi (Meru), Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru), Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga), James Nyoro (Kiambu), Mwangi Wa Iria (Murang’a), Muthomi Njoki (Tharaka Nithi) and Mutahi Kahiga (Nyeri), described the move as a populist move smirking of poor judgment.
They accused the Murang’a senator of exercising ill-judgment, saying there was a better way he could have shared his personal opinions with the President.
“Such a breach of protocol is unacceptable. It raises questions why a senior member of the government leadership in parliament would choose this cheap populist method to address this issue to HE the President whose office is just a few steps away from parliament,” part of the statement read.
The governors said that they acknowledged some of the issues that were raised by the two-term senator but said it was premature to judge BBI bill as it was still very new to Kenyans.
They said that Kenyans were still waiting for the published bill and that it was ill-advised for Kang’ata to intimate that Mt Kenya region is opposed to the document, especially at such an early stage.
According to the governors, Senator Kang’ata has never sought to discuss any of the issues with any of them or any key elected leaders from the region, especially those who interact with voters at the grassroot level.
“Senator Kangata’s statement should be deemed as personal and based on personal prejudice. The central Kenya region has a unique political behavior driven by unique interests and not hysterical emotions,” the statement read.
The governors maintained that BBI captures the interest of the region and they would still support it.
They instead asked Kenyans to unite ad support BBI as it serves the interest of all Kenyans and not just people from Mt Kenya.
