Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu has been criticised for hinting that she will go for a national seat in 2022 in line with the Building Bridges Initiative law changes.
Ngilu, who is coordinating the BBI rallies in Ukambani, on Monday said she was upset that members of her Kamba community were not represented in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Cabinet and that was the reason she wants to occupy a seat in the national echelons.
She urged residents to pray for her as she seeks to occupy a senior national position where she will represent the interests of her Kamba community.
Ngilu said Kambas deserve representation at the national decision-making table.
“What harm will it cause if I get there? Let those who approve raise their hands,” she said during a BBI sensitisation meeting at Kitui Stadium.
But on Tuesday evening, Ambassador Kiema Kilonzo, from Kitui, termed Ngilu’s pronouncement a “smokescreen and diversionary”.
“Ngilu is not honest with her statement. She wants to divert attention from the heat she is feeling from competitors seeking to dethrone her in 2022. She thinks they will tone down their onslaught,” Kilonzo said in Kitui on Tuesday evening.
Kilonzo, who in 2013 unsuccessfully vied for Kitui’s governor seat, has said he will take a second shot at the seat in 2022.
“Ngilu made the statement to hoodwink opponents and voters alike because she is apprehensive of facing off with me at the ballot. I will not be slowed down by her statement that she will seek another position until I floor her,” he said.
