•Lumumba said that it was unwise for a departing president to be in the political arena.
•He said that the country is divided ahead of the polls.
Image: Ezekiel Aming'a
Former anti-graft agency boss PLO Lumumba has asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to refrain from politics.
During an interview at Citizen TV on Wednesday, Lumumba said that it was unwise for a departing president to endorse his successor.
“I would prefer a president who plays the role of a midwife compared to President Uhuru Kenyatta, who is in the arena,” said Lumumba.
"If you claim to be Moses leading people to Canaan, How then can Moses be advised by Pharaoh?”
He said that the country is split into different political divides.
“We are in danger of the country being very binary in the way we think; you are either this or that and it’s now becoming impossible in this country to hold an objective debate about Kenya,” Lumumba said.
Further, Lumumba warned that the country would end up in the same situation it was in after the 2007 polls.
“We are creating a situation where none of the leading contenders is preparing for defeat; both of them are saying that they must win. This is the same place we were in back in 2007. It is too uncomfortable to mention,” Lumumba said.
He said that the leaders whom Kenyans are about to elect in the August polls are still the same who have been in the government.
“The forests keep changing but the monkeys and their habits remain the same. There is nothing new,” Lumumba said.
Last weekend, President Uhuru Kenyatta officially endorsed the ODM leader Raila Odinga for the presidency.
Uhuru beseeched the Mt Kenya region to back Raila's bid, saying he has the best interests for the country.
"I'm asking you to support Raila Odinga as he means well for the Country. When "my young man reforms", we will consider him," Uhuru said.