Citizen TV owner SK Macharia asks politicians to sell Raila aggressively in Mt Kenya

Royal Media Services owner SK Macharia during a church service at Bible Fellowship Church at Kagumo, Murang'a County on August 29, 2021. [Courtesy]

Royal Media Service owner SK Macharia has told ODM leader Raila Odinga and his Mt Kenya region allies they will have to work extra hard to win the hearts of voters in the region.

Speaking at the Bible Fellowship Church in Kigumo Constituency, Murang’a County on Sunday said voters in the region were yet to embrace the former Prime Minister’s presidential bid and that a lot had to be done to turn the tides ahead of the 2022 General Election.

He cautioned Raila allies led by Nominated MP Maina Kamanda against lying to the ex-PM that he had massive support in the region, adding that massive mobilisation was needed to sell the Orange Party leader.

"I'd like to tell Kamanda, Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni and others, the way we know how things are on the ground, don't lie to Raila that the ground is okay,” he said.

Macharia, an ardent supporter of Raila said if elections were held today, the anti-Raila forces in Central Kenya would deliver more votes to their candidate [Deputy President William Ruto] hence the need to do more in selling the ODM leader in the region.

“If elections were held today, those people who are against you and President Uhuru Kenyatta would win the votes," said Macharia.

Macharia hailed the handshake between President Kenyatta and Raila for uniting the country after the acrimonious 2017 General Election.

“We were in a crisis after the 2017 polls following the Supreme Court verdict and the handshake brought us the much-needed peace at that time,” he said.

Despite the Appellate Court ruling that declared the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) null and void, Raila said the BBI team was on recess and would and that clamour to amend the constitution will be revisited.

"I want to tell you that BBI is not dead. It is just at half-time," Raila stated.

The Attorney General Kihara Kariuki and the BBI secretariat have however moved to the Supreme Court to appeal the ruling High Court and Court of Appeal rulings.

Raila was accompanied by Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, Nairobi Woman Rep Esther Passaris, Kamanda and Kioni.

Central Kenya forays

Today’s visit comes after another in late July, where Raila was the Chief Guest at the Skiza Thanksgiving Ceremony in Gatanga, Muranga County.

Raila also met Mt Kenya leaders, including National Assembly Majority Leader Amos Kimunya in Mombasa before the Gatanga visit.

Part of his plan is to conquer Central Kenya, a region that has perennially voted against him and is seen as gravitating towards DP Ruto.

In his team are veteran city politician Kamanda, MPs Kioni, Jude Njomo (Thika Town), Kanini Kega (Kieni), Peter Mwathi (Limuru) and CAS Rachael Shebesh.

Raila has recently given the strongest indication over his plans to exploit his handshake with President Kenyatta to penetrate the vote-rich Mt Kenya region.

The former PM dismissed the narratives that the region was hostile to him and the proposed constitutional changes.