Mathira Constituency residents on Wednesday, November 13, started collecting signatures to launch the process of removing their area Member of Parliament Eric Wamumbi for voting in favour of the recent impeachment motion against former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The exercise kicked off in Karatina town, where residents came out carrying their identification cards to sign petitions to recall their MP.
This move comes in response to Wamumbi's involvement in the impeachment of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, which residents viewed as a betrayal to them.
The residents of Mathira, which is Gachagua’s backyard, showed dissatisfaction after the MP supported Gachagua’s impeachment, stating they were ready to proceed with the recall once the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is fully reconstituted.
As the exercise wore on, the visibly angry residents pointed a finger of blame to their MP accusing him of denouncing one of their own and voting against their wish.
“As residents, we have resolved to start collecting signatures to recall Wamumbi because he has not initiated any meaningful development and betrayed our son, Gachagua, by leading the push for his impeachment, which we opposed,” one resident asserted.
Mathira constituency which supported the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in 2022, has a little over 104,000 voters, the majority of whom backed the UDA party.
It comes as MPs hailing from the Mt Kenya region have been met with backlash from their constituents following the impeachment of Gachagua.
The latest one to be shown wrath was Nyeri Town MP Duncan Maina who was heckled and insulted at Lower Bus Park in Nyeri Town, by angry matatu operators on Monday, November 11.
Mathenge had gone to show solidarity with matatu operators, who were being moved to a different terminus, instead was met with hostility that did not match his expectations.
The MP was among the 244 Members of Parliament who voted yes in the National Assembly, effectively backing the motion to oust Gachagua as Kenya's Deputy President.
Meanwhile, Gachagua, who was on Monday ejected as UDA's deputy party leader on Monday, has since laid a low profile politically. The only occasional appearance is at Church services where he has been urging his supporters to maintain silence.
