It is now weeks since it was reported that the people of Kikuyu constituency in Kiambu county were poisoned through food donations.
Like many others, I was shocked at what length politicians can go to smear each other. The three questions that came to my mind were: Who supplied the contaminated relief food? What was their motive? Have our politicians gone that low? That they would do anything, including putting the lives of Kenyans at great risk, in pushing their personal and selfish political agenda?
The matter is said to have been taken up by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations but nothing is being said about the progress of the probe.
It was, however, unfortunate that area MP Kimani Ichung’wa immediately politicised this incident. He dropped names alleging that the owner of the vehicle that was seen distributing the contaminated food labelled DP William Ruto and his name was known. “We want to tell the ‘system’ that there is a God in heaven. So, we will not be intimidated,” he said.
Did he provide this evidence to the DCI?
If he did not, what would stop some people from interpreting his remarks as a cover-up and a well-calculated strategy to divert the attention?
It should not be lost that five days prior to the incident, he had hosted the Deputy President in his constituency to flag off the distribution of the relief food packed in paper bags branded William Ruto Foundation and Ichung’wah.
The bags bearing the same brand were used to distribute the contaminated food.
Without insinuating it is the same food, knowing politics is a dirty game, precautions should have been taken.
The philanthropists had been advised to hand over their donations to Covid-19 National Emergency Response team. And if they want to preside over the distribution in person, then they were required to inform the regional administrators and the police. This would ensure the food is given out in an organized manner so that the beneficiaries do not contract coronavirus.
Notably, the President comes from Kiambu county and this is where the Kikuyu constituency is located. So, one cannot rule out his critics having planned the food poisoning incident to create a false perceptions that he hated the people of Kiambu.
Politics aside, the DCi should speed up the probe and tell us the truth.
Blogger and political analyst
