• On Friday, the elders converged at Kabiru-ini showground where they issued a statement on the state of the country
• Gachagua accused the elders of turning their prayer meeting into 'an arena of mudslinging and rumour-peddling'
Image: EUTYCAS MUCHIRI
The Kikuyu elders who held prayers on Friday are political brokers and busybodies with no mandate to speak for the community, Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua has said.
Gachagua said on his Facebook page that the elders are a coalition of political conmen who work for the Kieleweke team and are not members of the Kikuyu Council of Elders.
On Friday, the elders converged at Kabiru-ini showground where they issued a statement on the state of the country. They warned against premature 2022 election campaigns and urged Kenyans to support President Uhuru Kenyatta in the war on graft and the implementation of the Big Four agenda.
They said Deputy President William Ruto is free to visit the Central Kenya region to seek votes when the right time comes but demanded that he respect the President.
Image: EUTYCAS MUCHIRI
But Gachagua accused the elders of turning their prayer meeting into "an arena of mudslinging and rumour-peddling, and purporting to give the people of Nyeri political direction".
“The true council of elders, and indeed I am a member ... is known and is doing a great job giving guidance on many sociocultural affairs of our people,” he said.
The lawmaker said true elders are focussed on cementing the community’s values based on Kikuyu customs and practices and "can never be busybodies".
He said the "genuine council" guides on the rites of passage and the transmission of traditional knowledge, fosters inclusivity within the Kikuyu nation and builds lasting ties with other Kenyans.
“So the farce that was stage-managed on Friday must be called for what it is; a pathetic caricature that failed even to elicit our amusement, let alone giving any direction on anything,” Gachagua said.
He claimed the team had visited Bondo early this year and "lied to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga" that they were speaking for the Kikuyu community.
“If this were not so fraudulent, it would be comic at best. But now it is becoming a nuisance and an embarrassment to those of us who know the value-system and tenets of 'Kiama kia Ma' (elders' council),” the MP posted.
He maintained that the elders cannot give direction as they are "impersonators".
Image: EUTYCAS MUCHIRI
The MP said only Mathira residents have the right and the mandate to guide him politically and not anyone else.
“I will continue supporting the President and the Deputy President, as I have always done unless guided otherwise by the people of Mathira. The rest are chest-thumping busybodies,” he said.
In response, however, Kikuyu Council of Elders vice-chairman David Muthoga said they are not a wing of any political outfit, including Kieleweke and Tangatanga.
He said they have never been party to the activities or plans of either faction. Muthoga said their role is to guide the community on the way forward — politically, socially, or economically.
The elders warned political leaders promising the DP the Kikuyu community votes in 2022 to stop forthwith. They said the Kikuyu politicians promising Ruto the region's votes are doing so for their own selfish gain, adding that they do not own the community’s votes, they said.
“This community shall choose a leader when the time comes based on character, credibility and performance. This mandate squarely belongs to the community,” they said.
Muthoga cautioned Ruto against visiting Central for premature election campaigns.
“What we are saying is he is the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. He is free to come here anytime but all we are saying, he should respect his boss,” he said.
He blamed early election campaigns for ethnic mistrust and hatred, warning that they are a threat to Kenya’s political and socioeconomic stability.
(Edited by F'Orieny)