Ugenya Member of Parliament David Ochieng has criticised President William Ruto and his government for blaming the Ford Foundation over the protests.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, the Kenya Kwanza MP described the move as a Public Relations (PR) stunt.
He opined that the President and the government were squandering a good opportunity to reset the country and have it founded on good values.
According to Ochieng, it was not the time to apportion blame on the civil society but to help the country transition to a new path of accountability.
"We are saying that we are at a point where we have to draw the line and say that we are going to live a better life. What these young guys are asking for is for the president to lead them in founding this new republic. They are saying they want a new life. I wish this was understood so that no one is being blamed.
"What the government has been doing for the last six weeks is trying to play PR. When the President formed a committee to do a forensic on the debt, I saw PR. When you blame the Ford Foundation I see PR," he stated.
Further, he called on the President to take time and listen to the issues that are being raised by Kenyans.
Despite holding a contrary view, Ochieng maintained that he was still in Kenya Kwanza adding that it was his democratic right to criticise his affiliation if he saw things going wrong.
"Use this opportunity to create a new environment. I want to tell the President, this is not about him and his government. That is why I do not agree with this issue of apportioning blame on someone.
"When we joined Kenya Kwanza, there was no requirement for us to leave our brains at the door. We joined with our brains intact. That is why someone cannot tell me that, because I hold a different view, then I have left Kenya Kwanza," he added.
The remarks by Ochieng came after the government blamed the Ford Foundation for funding organisations that were behind the protests.
In response, the foundation denied the allegations adding that all the funding distributed among Kenyan-based organisations could be accounted for in detail.
“As a charitable foundation with a global presence, our grant-making is transparent and readily available on our website," the Foundation responded.
