Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has reacted to criticism about his recent decision to miss President William Ruto’s tour in Nairobi.
Sifuna, who spoke during the burial of retired Kenya Air Force pilot James Gitahi on Saturday, March 15, said it was not his responsibility to attend the head of state’s development tours of the city.
According to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party Secretary General, there was no part of the agreement signed between Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga demanding that he must attend the president’s meetings.
“I woke up and saw a headline claiming that Sifuna evaded the president during his development tour in Nairobi. There is no part of the agreement that mandates the ODM Secretary General to attend Ruto’s rallies,” Sifuna clarified.
He went on to add, “I saw Raila Odinga attending a burial in Kiambu County; I did not see the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General there.”
While addressing the matter, Sifuna reiterated that he would continue performing his duties as the Nairobi Senator, adding that his attendance at Ruto’s rallies would not be used as a prerequisite for his 2027 reelection.
The ODM principal further emphasised his commitment to performing his oversight role to ensure that President Ruto fulfilled all the demands issued in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between him and Raila.
“I heard Ruto saying that everyone should do their best; I will not be reelected based on the number of meetings I attended when I was with the president. My work is in the Senate,” Sifuna noted.
“Since Raila signed the agreement, my work is now easy. I just sit with a marking scheme; should the police abduct anyone, then Ruto will have gone against the agreement,” he added.
Sifuna's clarification comes on the back of allegations that the latter, alongside Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and his Westlands counterpart Tim Wanyonyi, were plotting a political rebellion in protest of Ruto's cooperation agreement with Raila.
The reports further linked the conspicuous absence of Tim Wanyonyi and Babu Owino to Odinga’s decision to back Johnson Sakaja for reelection as Nairobi Governor.
Also absent during Ruto's tour in Nairobi were former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's close allies, including Embakasi North MP James Gakuya and his Embakasi Central Counterpart, Benjamin Gathiru.
