Muturi's move to support Ruto splits elders

The decision by National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi to join Kenya Kwanza alliance has divided the Democratic Party and elders who coronated him as Mt Kenya spokesman.

The elders accused Mr Muturi of going against their directives.

Prof Peter Kagwanja, the patron of Kikuyu Council of Elders said they were only preparing him to take on the mantle after President Uhuru Kenyatta’s exit from active politics.

Prof Kagwanja is also the patron of Kiama Kia elders in Murang’a County where the speaker was coronated at Mukurwe Wa Nyagathanga shrine last year.

Prof Kagwanja said Mr Muturi jumped the gun by going ahead to declare interest in the presidency and joining Deputy President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza alliance.

“We identified him as a possible successor to the president and advised him to join Democratic Party since we thought Ruto would use Jubilee to run for the presidency.

“This was until the president said he would play active politics and convinced us to join Azimio la Umoja,” he said.

“The move spells doom to his political career.”

Prof Kagwanja explained that by President Kenyatta declaring that he would guide the community on the political path, Muturi should have shelved his political ambitions and waited for Uhuru’s exit for him to take the mantle (Muthigi).

“We prepared him as a successor and not to replace Uhuru, he is no longer the spokesperson of the community and therefore cant purport to guide us on the way forward,” he said.

Prof Kagwanja claimed the speaker’s decision to join Kenya Kwanza would not add value to Ruto’s hunt for votes in Mt Kenya.

Samuel Ng’ethe, the Secretary-General of Kiama Kia Ma and Kikuyu Council of Elders who merged to form Murang’a Agikuyu Elders Association, disclosed that elders warned Muturi against joining Kenya Kwanza. He was part of the committee that spearheaded Muturi’s coronation 

“He invited us and sought our advice before joining Ruto. He, in fact, wanted us to accompany him while visiting Ruto but we declined and warned him not to overstep his mandate,” Mr Ng’ethe told The Standard on phone.

However, Kung’u Muigai, the national patron of the Kikuyu Council of Elders dismissed the elder’s claims, saying he was aware of Mr Muturi’s move and that he had his blessings and those of the other elders.

Mr Muigai, who is the president’s nephew, said the coronation offered Muturi, the elders’ and the community’s blessings to chat his own political destiny.

He said although he belonged to the Kenyatta family, he had the right to chart his political path since the president was not vying for any political position and had not convinced him why he should support Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga.

“If Uhuru was vying, I would have been at the forefront supporting him,” Mr Muigai said. Mr Kung’u and Prof Kagwanja led the committee that planned Muturi’s coronation.

In a rejoinder, the speaker said he has never discussed politics with the elders. “Are elders involved in politics? I have never discussed any political matters with any groups of elders and it is therefore not possible for any to have advised me,” Mr Muturi said.

The events that led to his coronation were so special that certain elders who were deemed unclean were excluded.

Some Democratic Party officials and aspirants have also protested Mr Muturi’s decision, saying he went against the National Delegates Conference held last month.

DP Deputy Secretary-General and Nyeri senatorial aspirant Wambugu Nyamu said they had filed an objection petition at the Registrar of Political Parties since the National Executive Council and the National Delegates Council were never consulted before the move.

But the party’s chairperson Esau Kioni said Muturi had their blessings.