Divided Mt Kenya leaders meet to explore common stand on report

Meru County Governor Kiraitu Murungi makes his speech during the launch of Building Bridges Initiative report at Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi. [File, Standard]

More than 50 MPs from Mt Kenya region are going into a meeting this morning to unveil a common stand on the BBI, although they are already deeply divided.

The meeting in Embu appears headed for a rocky start after a bitter exchange yesterday between two MPs at a harambee presided over by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i in Kirinyaga County.

Sources said by yesterday afternoon, more than 30 legislators had confirmed attendance. Some checked in yesterday.

According to the MPs, there will be only one item on the agenda -- discussing the BBI and how to secure a good deal for the region in the looming constitutional changes.

There are 86 elected MPs in the region that includes most of Nakuru County, half of Nairobi and almost the entire Laikipia County.

Nominated MPs from the region, including Maina Kamanda, Isaac Mwaura, Halima Mucheke and Cecily Mbarire, have also been invited to the meeting that will discuss parameters of supporting or challenging the BBI process.

But indications yesterday by a handful of legislators were that they would keep off the meeting because they were not sure whether it had the blessings of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

And the ruckus at the Kirinyaga harambee showed the divisions in the Mt Kenya Parliamentary Group are mainly about the formula to be used to transform the BBI report into law.

One group represented by Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, and which is mainly dominated by supporters of Deputy President William Ruto, insisted that the process should be undertaken in Parliament while the other group, led by Kiambu Woman  Rep Gathoni wa Muchomba, prefers a people-driven process and referedum.

The harambee in Ndia Constituency was in aid of Gathuthini Hope Foundation, which takes care of bright but poor children from the area.

Ms Wamuchomba provoked her colleagues when she told the meeting to forget about handing over the process to “crooked” legislators.

“All MPs, including those seated here, are crooks who cannot be solely trusted to midwife the destiny of this nation,” she said, raising a ruckus in a meeting that was attended by seven governors and as many Cabinet Secretaries.

Drama started playing out when Kuria told the gathering that there was no logic for the country to spend Sh20 billion seeking public views about the BBI when most Kenyans could not even afford to put food on the table.

“It was just the other day when we spent Sh500 million on collecting views on the same initiative when we can easily get everything done through Parliament, where we are the people’s representatives, within a short time and save these billions for another worthy course,” he said. But no sooner had Kuria left the podium than Wamuchomba took over and dismissed Parliament as not worthy to be trusted to undertake the process since it comprised “political crooks”.

“We cannot allow this process to be left to these political thugs. It should be left to the people who are the supreme on matters Constitution,” she said.

As this played out, Gichugu MP Gichimu Githinji joined in and told Wamuchomba that he was an honourable MP and not a political thug.

Her Kirinyaga counterpart Wangui Ngirichi also told off Wamuchomba and maintained she was a honest leader and the question of the initiative being taken to the next level by parliamentarians was quite in order since they were direct representatives of the people.

Line of speech

“By simply expressing our democratic rights to state how we feel the initiative should move on through Parliament does not make us political thugs,” Ngirichi said.

Things got worse when Kamanda was heckled for not recognising Ruto in his speech.

A section of the charged crowd started shouting “even Ruto , even Ruto”, which made the legislator to abandon his line of speech.

The heckling of some of the leaders appeared to be getting worse until the fundraiser’s host, Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho, took the podium and issued a stern warning in vernacular.

A tough talking Kibicho told the local youths that he would not tolerate heckling of his guests. Other MPs who said they supported a parliamentary process were Munene Wambugu (Kirinyaga Central) and Kabinga Wachira (Mwea).

But Samuel Arama (Nakuru Town West), Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay Woman Rep) and Jimmy Angwenyi (Kitutu Chache) said they would support a people driven process.

Matiang’i defended Kibicho against accusations of being a hard-headed public servant and warned that anyone who touched the PS was also directing attacking his way.

“At the security docket, we work as a team with Kibicho and we are loyal civil servants who take orders from the Head of State and ensure such orders and directives are implemented to the letter,” he said.

The CS praised the BBI as having stabilised the country, saying the peace had enabled the government to reduce the internal security budget and use the saved funds on development projects.

Incidentally, even as the MPs verbally fought about the BBI, the governors and six other CSs in the function steered clear of the debate.

Nyandarua Governor Francis Kimemia said all Kenyans should be given a chance to read the report and make contributions.

Other governors present were Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga), Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka Nithi), James Ongwae (Kisii), John Nyagarama (Nyamira), Mutahi Kahiga (Nyeri) and Hassan Joho (Mombasa).

The CSs present were Joe Mucheru (Information and Communications), Peter Munya (Trade), James Macharia (Transport), Keriako Tobiko (Environment) and George Magoha (Education).