• Kiragu said if such a proposal is followed, Embu people might get an incompetent governor who will not develop the county.
• Mundigi said voters should be left to have independence to vote for the governor they want just as it happened in previous elections.
Embu politicians have differed over a proposal for a leader from Manyatta constituency to succeed Governor Martin Wambora.
The politicians included a former aspirant for the seat Kithinji Kiragu, who is from Manyatta, former Embu Senate aspirant Alexander Mundigi from Mbeere and former Woman Representative Susan Nyaga aspirant who is also from Mbeere.
Kiragu said if such a proposal is followed, Embu people might get an incompetent governor who will not develop the county.
He said development cannot be achieved by fighting with arrows, guns and spears. Kiragu said the most important thing for the Embu people is to have an experienced governor who can come from any part of the county.
“The important thing is to get a person who has a vision for the whole county and not a person with a vision for a constituency, or of a tribe," he said.
Kiragu, who emerged third in the 2017 governor election, said Embu requires a person who knows that every area can contribute to the development of the county.
“You may have a governor from next door but fail to get piped water from him or her. Your children can also fail to get employment,” said Kiragu.
Mundigi said voters should be left to have independence to vote for the governor they want just as it happened in previous elections.
He said in a proper democracy, everybody should be allowed to seek governorship including from Runyenjes despite having produced Governor Wambora so long as he or she will helps the residents achieve their vision.
Mundigi, who was speaking to the Star in Embu town yesterday, said democracy should be encouraged in all the seats just like in the national politics where three presidents have come from Mt Kenya region but have been efficient.
“Let everybody, no matter where he or she comes from, vie for the seat he wants so that the voters can decide. Even in the previous elections the voters are the ones who decided the leaders who ran the county and other seats,” said Mundigi.
Speaking at an exhibition that sold goods by persons with disability and women organised by Ridi Group, Nyaga called for negotiations between county leaders and residents on who should succeed Wambora.
Nyaga regretted that in the last election most of the national and county seats in Embu went to the leaders from Runyenjes and Manyatta.
She said none of the seats went to a person from Mbeere subcounty, and thus called for negotiated democracy led by National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi and former Senator Lenny Kivuti from Mbeere to share seats evenly.
She said if the numbers will matter again, the Mbeere community will be left out.
Manyatta MP John Muciri, who expressed interest in the governor's seat last week, said a person from Manyatta constituency should succeed Wambora since it is the largest contributor to the county’s economy and has the largest population in the county.
He said being the most populated constituency, Manyatta should not continue remaining on the periphery and watch the government being run by somebody else from another region.
(Edited by P. Wanambisi)