• Maina said some people are roaming about trying to position themselves as spokespeople for the region and encouraging divisions.
• Kega said violence will not help anyone eyeing the presidency to get political mileage.
Two Nyeri leaders have condemned the chaos witnessed in Murang’a on Friday.
The chaos erupted during the burial of five family members in Murang’a as Tangatanga-Kieleweke politics played out and the rift between the factions widened. The five died in an accident at Kwangolia on Wote–Machakos road on September 2.
Reacting separately to the incident, Senator Ephraim Maina and Kieni MP Kanini Kega called for restraint between the warring Jubilee groups.
Maina accused some politicians of roaming about to position themselves as spokespeople for the Mt Kenya region and stoking divisions. He did not name names. Maina spoke to the media at his Lusoi home on Saturday.
He appealed to area leaders to shun divisive politics and instead serve Kenyans irrespective of their political camps and wait to "do politics when the right time comes".
“Let us all try to serve wananchi in this time left for our President which is less than two years,” he said.
Kega termed the incident unfortunate and shameful, saying Mt Kenya has never had politics of violence. He blamed the chaos on Tangatanga and Kieleweke factions of Jubilee and told politicians to give Kenyans a break.
“Give the President time to deliver on his mandate. He cannot deliver when there is chaos in the region,” he said.
The legislator imputed the chaos to people with selfish presidential ambitions, warning that violence will not help anyone get political mileage. Such confrontational politics is unacceptable in the region, he said.
Kega said the region is not ready for a replica of the 2007-08 post-election violence. He urged investigative agencies to be vigilant and take action against those breaching the peace.
He cautioned that insults such as those being hurled at the President, his family and other leaders cause bad blood, urging those eyeing political seats to hold their horses until 2022.
Kega spoke at Warazo Jet in his Kieni constituency during a meeting to discuss ways of expanding the Warazo Jet water project to cover more residents.
The lawmaker said the project has been existence since 1996 but now ought to be expanded to serve the increasing population better.
“We have realised that the project has not been able to serve the community as expected due to the increase in population and that is why we convened the meeting so we can discuss how to work together to expand the project,” he said.
Some of the problems faced in the project include building offices, purchasing pipes to supply more homesteads and building water tanks or reservoirs to for storage. The water is drawn from streams.
Kega cited the need to construct dams to harvest and store rainwater so people can have ample supply. He urged the national government to start the construction of the eight dams promised to residents to fix shortage in Kieni.
The dams were stopped following the Kimwarer and Arror dams scandals.
Project chairman Joseph Wachira said some homesteads have yet to benefit from since its inception. He said they need pipes worth Sh9 million and two boreholes for efficient supply.
The project has 1,800 members but is targeting 4,000 in the area, with about 10,600 households.
John Kamau, a resident, said they have been using the water to grow horticultural crops and for domestic needs.
Esther Muthoni said Kieni is a dry area and the water can come in handy if supplied to all homesteads. She appealed to the government and well-wishers to help expand the project.