• Some MPs are on the take to attend the rallies and defend those with deep pockets
• County chief lauds President Kenyatta’s call for politicians to desist from active politics
Image: COURTESY
Some leaders are followed by MPs wherever they go because of their deep pockets, not because they are loved or supported, according to Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua.
Without naming names, Mutua on Tuesday said some elected leaders are paid to defend and attend rallies of politicians with deep pockets.
He urged Kenyans to shun politics of ethnicism and instead promote unity. The governor, who is eyeing the presidency, said he has what it takes to transform the country.
"We must be like Tanzanians. (Jakaya Mrisho) Kikwete’s tribe is equal to the Somali tribe in Kenya but residents voted him as president. It is not a must for a person to come from the populous or biggest tribe to be elected Kenyan president," he said on the radio.
"Kenya needs a leader who will transform the country and improve lives. I ask for the Ameru votes. I want a deep friendship with Meru people and their leaders. I will work with everyone and involve everybody. It is time the leadership of this country is taken by the minority like Meru, Kisii, Kamba.”
He lauded President Uhuru Kenyatta’s call for politicians to desist from active politics and focus on service delivery.
“If leaders' mind and talk only politics and not development, then we will remain poor as a country,” Mutua said and rubbished calls to extend the President’s and governors' terms.
“Why should some people think they are the only ones to lead? There are others too who can be better governors or president. Why cling to power until you are humiliated? These offices are not theirs.
"This is the main problem we have in Africa. We need quality leadership. Ten years are enough. USA elections are done after eight years. Residents should as well not blindly support what a leader tells them because some are even bribed.”
He said the handshake between President Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga has shaped the country and saved it from a disaster.
“If it is not for the handshake, the country’s economy could be in ruins, roads could be being closed, there would be no new jobs and Kenya could have gone back to the 2007 period.
"Uhuru wisely did this to salvage and make Kenya move in the right direction, but there are those who think the handshake is meant to destroy their chances of rising to power. No one was ever told the presidency solely belongs to them.”