Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu has advised Mt Kenya residents to avoid cheering politicians who visit the region and insult President Uhuru Kenyatta.
He said on Tuesday there have been cases of leaders from Deputy President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance visiting the region to insult political leaders.
Wambugu said Azimio la Umoja politicians do not go to Kenya Kwanza’s backyards to insult their leaders and so they should also reciprocate.
“I have had political differences with Ruto but I cannot leave Nyeri to go to Eldoret to insult him. There, people will not allow that in the first place,” he said.
Insulting of local leaders by outsiders is tantamount to disrespecting voters who elected them, he said.
Wambugu spoke to residents at the Youth Empowerment Centre in Nyeri town when he distributed Uwezo Fund cheques to 54 groups and bursary cheques to college and university students from his constituency.
He called on residents to follow President Kenyatta’s political direction and support Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
In 2002, he said, former president Daniel Moi told his people to support Uhuru, which they did because of the respect they had for Moi.
“The Kalenjins respected Moi until the day he left office. It doesn’t mean they all agreed with him or they all loved him, but they respected him until he left office,” the lawmaker said.
“If you accorded your leader (Moi) the respect he deserved until he retired, then you should let us also accord similar respect to ours (Kenyatta) until he retires.”
He said there is no way people inciting others to disrespect the President will continue with his legacy projects after he leaves office.
Those coming to campaign in the region should sell their policies respectfully without hurling insults to others, he said.
The MP said residents must know how they will organise themselves in the next government, saying the administration will be led by somebody from another region.
“Every party we are seeing having an NDC [National Delegates Conference] represents the interest of a particular region,” he said.
Wambugu said the party must have the power to negotiate with the next government so that the ongoing projects are concluded.
He also said Jubilee Party must also have political powers to defend its people in Parliament in case a member comes up with a policy that reverses the gains made in coffee and tea, among other sectors.
The MP said sectors like coffee collapsed because of people changing policies in Parliament.
On Monday, some Thika residents and clerics, led by Bishop Joseph Njoroge, criticised Kenya Kwanza alliance politicians over their sustained attacks on President Kenyatta and called on Ruto to apologise.
They said during their Saturday's Kenya Kwanza rally in Thika the leaders uttered words that were disrespectful to the President.
Kiambu Governor James Nyoro also criticised Ruto and his allies over the attacks which he said were directed at the President.
(edited by Amol Awuor)
