Former Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC) chairperson Irungu Nyakera has explained why he did not join President William Ruto on the Mt Kenya tour, stating that he did not want to hear lies or speak lies to the people.
Speaking in a radio interview on Spice FM on Wednesday, April 9, Nyakera said if he had attended the tour, he would have faced the people and told the truth since citizens are tired of lies.
“That is why I did not want to attend the Mt Kenya tour because I felt that if I did attend, on one end, if I hear anyone speak, I will be hearing the lies, the failed promises, and if I am told to speak, then I would also not be able to tell a lie. I will face the people because we took very clear promises,” he added.
According to Nyakera, people in the country are angry because many promises made in the run-up to the 2022 polls have not been fulfilled.
“People are angry because of failed promises. I remember in 2022, we were part of the Kenya Kwanza coalition as a Farmers Party."
"I had even defended Kenya Kwanza because the first one year you can give a lot of excuses; the second year, people believe the excuses, but the third year you really cannot give the excuses because it means that by 2027, you will be campaigning as though you are campaigning in 2022 the same way,” he said.
Nyakera said he had travelled across the country with Kenya Kwanza leaders and attended meetings where promises were made, but now, the same promises are still being repeated.
“We went around the country to different places and held meetings. The promises that we made then are still the promises we will make today. Then the promises that were made 2 weeks ago when they were having the Mt Kenya tour,” he explained.
Nyakera also said he does not agree with claims that the government has no money. He instead argues that the money is being wasted on unnecessary things.
“I do not buy into the narrative that there is no money in Kenya; there is money to waste. There is money being planted and wasted every single day, even on that tour, even in itself spending money to build a road, and there will be more tours,” he added.
He added that the Mt Kenya development tour was not the first time money was wasted on events that could have been done in a simple way.
“It was not the first. We had a project that could have been opened by the Nyumba Kumi elders being opened by 9 helicopters. So, it's so wasteful; that's the real anger of the people,” Nyakera said.
