• Akorinos want Uhuru to pick ex-Cabinet minister Joe Nyaga to spearhead BBI referendum in Mt Kenya region.
• They say the BBI and proposed Punguza Mzigo referendum are dividing the region like Tangatanga and Kieleweke.
Image: JOHN KAMAU:
The Building Bridges Initiative and the proposed Punguza Mzigo referendum are dividing the Mt Kenya region, just like the Tangatanga and Kieleweke political outfits are doing.
That's what many Akorinos in Murang'a county are saying.
They want President Uhuru Kenyatta to pick ex-Cabinet minister Joe Nyaga to spearhead the expected BBI referendum in Central region.
They said that the former Presidential aspirant is a veteran politician who will drum up support for changes to the Constitution.
Speaking after the Sunday service at Gatura Akorino Church, Bishop Johanna Ndirangu aid that during his anticipated tour of the region, Uhuru should name Nyaga and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to support the BBI team.
“There’s a section of politicians in this region who are defying the President in the imminent changes to the Constitution under BBI. They are supporting Punguza Mzigo because they are out to satisfy their masters and their own interests,” Ndirangu said.
“For success and total support of the BBI, we urge the President to incorporate veteran politicians and strategists from Central. Nyaga has rich knowledge of the region's politics,” he said.
The bishop said that BBI and Punguza Mzigo initiatives were dividing the region along political lines just like the Tangatanga and Kieleweke political outfits. He said it was urgent to clear the air.
“This region’s support for Uhuru is unwavering, but it seems we are being dismantled by the political factions selling both initiatives. We want the President to address the problem and solidify the region’s support for BBI," Ndirangu said.
Nyaga was Uhuru Kenyatta’s adviser on regional integration in 2013 before he resigned to run for president as an independent.
Ndirangu also called on ODM leader Raila Odinga to back Nyaga, saying the ex-cabinet minister was part of Raila's Pentagon.
Pastor Jeremiah Mungai said members of Akorino Church, estimated to be more than 50,000 in Murang’a South, are fully behind constitutional changes expected to be presented by the BBI team.
They faulted Ekuru Aukot’s Punguza Mzigo saying that he is seeking fame as the person to bring changes to the Constitution. They said he was CEO of the Committee of Experts that brought about the current Constitution.
“He was behind the Constitution and now he’s back telling Kenyans to change the same Constitution he promoted," Mungai said.
(Edited by V. Graham)