Time you act presidential, MPs tell DP Gachagua

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua at a past function. [DPSC, Standard]

A faction of Mt Kenya Members of Parliament has openly criticised Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s leadership style, urging him to embody national unity, befitting his office.

The MPs dismissed allegations that a majority from the region are undermining Gachagua or plotting his impeachment, with no formal petition seen.

Nyeri Town MP Maina Mathenge said that the Deputy President should allow them to do their work in constituencies without being coerced or intimidated to follow a certain path they are not comfortable with.

“I have a problem with the Deputy President myself, and on the floor of Parliament, I have talked about intimidation, coercion and dictating to me, where I can be and where I cannot be. That should not be allowed,” said Mathenge, in an interview.

“If failure to accompany the DP in every event that he has in the Mt. Kenya Region or anywhere else will cost me my parliamentary seat in Nyeri Town Constituency, I am ready to face that eventuality. For now, I want to serve the people of Nyeri,” he affirmed. He said the impeachment plot is in the DP’s imagination and his supporters and claimed that they have initiated the discussion among themselves. Mathenge wondered why the Nyeri Governor, Mutahi Kahiga has been leading in condemning the said impeachment yet he is not even the main subject.

“When and if an attempt to impeach the Deputy President is made in Parliament formally, I will express my opinion at that time. I am in Parliament but have not been approached by any MP to append my signature to any intention of impeaching him, I have not proposed or initiated collection of signatures for his impeachment, it is figment of his imagination and his supporters…How can I have an opinion about someone’s imagination? Mathenge posed.

Again, Mathenge said Gachagua has been tasked to work with development partners yet key projects in several parts of the region have stalled.

“Projects especially in Nyeri have not been fulfilled, what is it that he has been pushing for then and when he gets them, where do they go?” Mathenge said.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Kiambu Women Representative Anne Muratha, who even urged the Kikuyu Council of elders to convene a meeting to discuss the direction that the community is headed.

“If I was in a position to advise the Deputy President, I would tell him that he is taking a wrong path. This is because he was elected as DP for the entire country. Things about always telling the nation about the plight of Mt Kenya alone should not continue. Like now, he said he is being undermined even by his own people because he has been pushing to secure Government appointments for Mt Kenya,” said Muratha.

Muratha said Gachagua should explain why he believes that MPs from the region are planning to impeach him because she has also not come across any petition or anyone who has requested her to sign it.

“I want to urge the Kikuyu elders to meet and discuss whether the community is headed in the right direction because, with what the deputy president said on Sunday you will see he deserves some counsel and change his perspective,” she explained

Should the DP call a meeting to iron out emerging issues in the region, both Muratha and Mathenge said they would attend.

They also took issue with the DP saying that in most of his tours to the region, he has been blaming the MPs for stalled projects, inferring that they have been attempting to impeach him instead of working for their constituents.

Lots of promises

“We made a lot of promises and you know the people today are very smart. They can remember all the promises we made. Unfortunately, most of the time that the DP comes, say to Kiambu or other parts of Mt Kenya, he goes to fight the MPs instead of supporting them,” she stated.

Murang’a Women Representative Betty Maina criticised Gachagua for demanding more seats for the region despite its substantial representation in government. Mathira MP Eric Wamumbi acknowledged a rift with the DP but denied it was due to the closure of bars and the fight against alcoholism.

Amidst the tension, Azimio leaders, led by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, pledged to defend Gachagua if an impeachment motion arises. Gachagua, in response, indicated his intention to foster friendships and unity across the country.

“I have a lot of work of establishing friendship with others. For instance, I heard Kalonzo say something that I really liked… he said that GEMA (Gikuyu, Embu, Meru Association) was changed from the original Gikuyu, Embu, Meru, and Akamba, and we asked our elders to sit with those from Akamba to reintegrate their community back to the association and we will speak with everyone else,” Gachagua said in a televised interview.