Mt Kenya leaders meet over State appointments

NAIROBI: Over 50 Mt Kenya politicians held a hastily convened meeting in Nairobi yesterday, prompted by recent political developments in the region.

The meeting at the Panafric Hotel was convened by Mathira MP Peter Kinyua, who is the regional Parliamentary Group whip. Some of the leaders who attended the meeting said it focused mainly on recent changes in the Government.

The leaders said there was a general feeling among the legislators that the region could lose out on appointments as the President and his deputy seek to fight the perception that State jobs were only going to Kikuyus and Kalenjins.

And according to an MP from the area who requested not to be named, there was also a feeling that Deputy President William Ruto has been under siege from many quarters and, therefore, needed protection.

He said the meeting also sought to revitalise the almost moribund Central Kenya Parliamentary Group that played an instrumental role in the election of Uhuru and his predecessor Mwai Kibaki, but which has been dormant since the current Parliament was sworn in.

The legislators are said to have rooted for the parliamentary group as the ideal vehicle to mobilise leaders from the region to speak with one voice. They also feel that a strong group would stand them in good stead for a "better bargain" especially in the sharing of coveted positions in the Government.

President Kenyatta recently reshuffled his Cabinet, edging out long-serving technocrat Francis Kimemia from the vantage position of Secretary to the Cabinet.

VOTING BLOC

Mr Kimemia's replacement, Ambassador Monica Juma, is linked to Central Kenya by marriage, and is a strong insider in Uhuru's team.

Multiple sources at the meeting yesterday said there was concern that the region could lose out on future appointments because it was largely considered as a safe voting bloc for Uhuru and did not need to be wooed through State jobs.

The MPs are of the view that if other regions are to be appeased, it should not be at the expense of Central Kenya.

One MP told The Standard the discussions also touched on the region's struggling coffee and tea sectors, with most of the leaders present saying they had been ignored by the Jubilee government while the cereals and sugar sectors in the Rift Valley and Western regions were getting attention.

"All the members agreed that we need to speak with one voice on these issues because our constituents feel there is a mismatch between campaign promises and delivery," said another MP, who also asked not to be named.

The MPs are said to have voiced concern that Central Kenya voters were increasingly frustrated at not reaping the benefits of the Uhuruto administration. Sources put the number of MPs at the meeting in the at 51.

Senators Kiraitu Murungi (Meru), Lenny Kivuti (Embu), Daniel Karaba and Kimani Wamatangi (Kiambu) were among the leaders at the meeting. Mr Murungi, who is the acting chair of the PG, was tasked with organising a retreat in the next two weeks.