Former Westlands MP Fred Gumo has hit out at MPs elected on the Azimio-One Kenya coalition for jumping ship to President-elect William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza.
The former legislator who spoke in Wekhonye village in Kiminini subcounty on Saturday during the burial of his niece Sylvia Oduol said it was wrong for the President-elect’s party to trigger a wave of defections, which he said were aimed at killing the opposition in the country.
The President-elect, he said got favour from the common folk when he acted as the opposition, when the real opposition teamed up with retiring President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"President-elect William Ruto consolidated his power base when he associated himself to mwananchi by playing the role of the opposition. This earned him favour with the commoners as some of us who were the face of opposition joined government," he said.
Gumo said legislators from Azimio who are moving to the opposite part were doing so for the sake of their stomachs.
He said: "Some of these people defecting are being bought at a very cheap price. They will soon find themselves in shame because an MP is not different from another despite the political inclination."
The former MP called on all leaders elected under Azimio coalition party, to remain united.
The former Minister also differed with Garissa Township MP Aden Duale on the removal of four Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission Commissioners who disowned the Presidential election results.
"Suggestions to remove the four commissioners who include IEBC vice chairperson Juliana Cherera, Francis Wanderi, Justus Nyang’aya and Irene Masit are unfortunate."
Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga who attended the burial chided those being offered cheap money to defect .
"Some of you guys have always been in the government unlike us from the lakeside who have been in the opposition all through. We will still be there and put the government on check until such a time when we will form government," he said.
His sentiments were echoed by Hospital ward MCA-elect Eric Wafula who said those defecting were doing so to fill their empty stomachs.
