- Lonyangapuo defends changes, says he wants MCAs who will not sabotage his development agenda.
- Kanu's Salat say party loyalty is mandatory.
Image: /EZEKIEL AMING'A
Kanu has marked West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo for disciplinary action following leadership stand-off in the county assembly over his close ties with Deputy President William Ruto.
On Wednesday, Kanu secretary general Nick Salat told the Star “total party loyalty is not negotiable and those who fail to toe the line will face the consequences.”
Ruto and Kanu leader Gideon Moi, the Baringo senator, are competing for Rift Valley loyalty and votes.
“Lonyangapuo is out of order and we are perturbed to say the least. He should know the party constitution supersedes anything else. Let him know that he has questions to answer. There is no Kanu [exception] for West Pokot,” he told the Star on the phone.
“We are going whole hog with disciplinary action. We are in the homestretch now and it will be executed. If they have issues, they should appear before the party disciplinary committee,” he added.
Lonyangapuo is seen as a sympathiser of the Deputy President and has pledged to rally behind Ruto in the 2022 presidential contest.
However, with Ruto falling out with President Uhuru Kenyatta and clear indications the President could be grooming Gideon Moi, the Independence party is leaving nothing to chance.
On Tuesday, Lonyangapuo accused Salat, Senate Majority leader Samuel Poghisio and Tiaty MP William Kamket of working behind the scenes to sabotage his development agenda.
He questioned if Senator Moi was still “in control of the party”, suggesting the three leaders were now taking advantage of Ruto’s situation to instruct MCAs to frustrate his leadership.
“When we were elected, issues to do with parties stopped. Leadership must develop the country and the county, then after that, people will decide what they want.
“Why is Salat interfering? I want to ask our chairman Gideon Moi: Are you still in control of the party? Or you are now confused after the death of Mzee [former President Daniel Moi]. I'm not happy about the things I have seen,” Lonyangapuo said.
The wrangles started in April when MCAs removed majority leader Thomas Ngolesia and whip Emmanuel Polokou, moves said to have been engineered by Lonyangapuo.
The MCAs replaced the two leaders with MCAs Evanson Lomaduny and David Kapelsiwa, who are said to be allies of the governor, to replace Polokou and Ngolesia, respectively.
Assembly speaker Catherine Mukenyang, who is said to be close to Poghisio and Salat, declined to accept the changes to the two positions leading to the three-month stand-off.
This forced the Kanu county branch to write show-cause letters to MCAs who went ahead to remove the house leaders despite the warning from the party.
On Thursday, the MCAs will resume sittings after recess. It is understood there are plans to lock out the speaker to allow the deputy speaker to preside. He is expected to use the opportunity to receive and communicate the changes to the assembly leadership.
Lonyangapuo defended the move by MCAs to change the leadership in the Kanu-dominated assembly saying the former leaders were working with outside forces to sabotage his development agenda.
“We are now going for the budget, who will present it? If not those with whom we share a common vision because the other one has vowed to kill my agenda. Why are Gideon, Salat, Poghisio, Kamket and the entire gang getting involved?”
Lonyangapuo also took issue with Deputy Governor Nicholas Atudonyang, accusing him of joining hands with his detractors to sabotage his leadership.
The county boss appeared to regret his longstanding defence of Atudonyang - who has been practising family medicine in the US when he should be in Kenya – and accused the deputy governor of planning to undermine his leadership.
“The deputy governor wrote to say he will stop jobs and contracts being given to non-Pokots. No wonder alitoroka West Pokot. I now know why he ran away from our county to go live in Texas, America.
“If possible, President Donald Trump should deport him. We have been thinking he has problems and was about to come back but he is working to frustrate the county. We will not allow threats,” he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)