A few days ago, Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria was in Maragwa, Murang’a county, where he accompanied Deputy President William Ruto to a fundraiser. The MP would intensify his onslaught on President Uhuru Kenyatta making highly sensational and unsubstantiated claims against him.
He 'spoke for' the Kikuyu community saying they fully support the DP’s presidential bid and in 2022, "we will defy Uhuru and vote for Ruto". He created the impression that Uhuru has already declared that he will not support the DP. This amounts to disrespecting Uhuru and putting words in his mouth.
The President's position before and even after the handshake has remained consistent and very clear; it is too early and premature to talk about succession politics. For now, let us focus on delivering on what we promised Wanjiku.
Consequently, he would rally and urge the leaders to support his Big Four agenda.
Kuria's colleagues, who spoke at that the DP’s event, read from the same script terming President Kenyatta’s decision to shake hands with opposition leader Raila Odinga as a big blunder.
Why would they change the tune? Were they speaking at behest of their master? Had they been paid well? I recall that when the violence triggered by the disputed 2017 presidential election broke out, some of these leaders were at the frontline calling on the President to intervene and save the country from sliding into anarchy.
By this time, Uhuru and Raila were already talking and Kenyans would breathe a sigh of relief when they finally unveiled the handshake deal.
As Kuria spoke, he was cheered by the residents. So, together with his colleagues, it seemed they interpreted this to mean they have succeeded in inciting Kikuyus to abandon President Kenyatta.
To me, they were deceiving themselves. Kikuyus are not fools to be herded like sheep. Lately, many have started to realise that these leaders were taking them for a ride.
For Kuria, some Kikuyus would recall the role he played during the trial of the DP at the International Criminal Court. During the prayer meetings held in the Rift Valley to pray for Ruto and which would turn political, Kuria always stole the show and carved the niche of being a ‘traitor’. This is because he would drop the names of senior Kikuyu politicians and allege that they fixed the DP at the ICC. He even said he was part of a team that coached witnesses to testify against the DP; how then would such a person be held loyal?
The MP would chicken out after being challenged to present that information to ICC. Uhuru’s supporters believed he had been 'paid well to do that work'. That is why he would not blink as he cooked stories to please the hand that was feeding him.
Political analyst and blogger
