I was misquoted on elective positions, MP Makau says

Mavoko Member of Parliament Patrick Makau has retracted his remarks regarding elective positions in Machakos County claiming he was misquoted.

A few days ago, a section of residents was angered by sentiments by the MP to effect that elected seats in the county must be left to members of the Kamba community. 

Led by the chair of the Kikuyu council of elders in the county Kumu Ndiritu the residents demanded an apology from the MP who made the offensive remarks a burial service.

"Kenya is a great country and any Kenyan is free to be elected in any area regardless of his or her tribe. If he doesn`t apologize we will call on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the National Commission and Integration Commission (NCIC) to summon and interrogate him over the remarks," said Ndiritu.

The MP on Wednesday said the alleged ethnic remarks attributed to him were taken out of context adding that the county is a cosmopolitan one and all people are free to live and contest for leadership positions including his constituency, which is occupied by people from different tribes.

"At the burial when I spoke I was simply urging the area people to make sure they put their votes in one basket when election time comes," said the vocal MP.

According to the lawmaker, his political competitors were using the remarks to spread propaganda against him, which he noted will not deter him from serving his constituents without discrimination.

Makau acknowledged that although the county was majorly populated by members of the Kamba community it has people from different parts of the country who are co-existing in harmony.

"Machakos County has people from all tribes, races and classes. They are all living in peace and carrying on with different kinds of businesses," he said.