Chief Justice Emeritus and presidential hopeful David Maraga has shut down Kenyans who insist that he should be seeking support from his backyard, Kisii and Nyamira Counties.
Speaking during an interview with KTN News on Sunday night, Maraga termed the pronouncements tribal, something he said he would fight during his tenure as Kenya's sixth president.
Describing the trend as ethnic balkanisation, he claimed that it has cost Kenya good leaders, as Kenyans tend to vote along tribal lines.
"Some people are saying I should go to Kisii and Nyamira and get the support from them. That is one of the things that I'm going to fight. This ethnic Balkanisation is what is creating huge problems," he stated.
"People are being elected on the basis of their ethnicity. Issues like quality, competency or development agenda one has in mind are not considered."
Further, Maraga declared that his political base is the whole of Kenya, and he would be seeking votes from all Kenyans and running an issue-based campaign as opposed to a tribal one.
The former CJ also expressed confidence that most Kenyans were ready to move away from tribal politics.
"A time has come. I call it a critical juncture in the history of our country that we have said we cannot have this anymore and let us elect people based on their track record and their competence to serve the whole nation," he declared.
"If I'm elected, I come from the Kisii community, but the Kisii community alone cannot elect me to the presidency. I will need the support of the whole country."
Since he announced his presidential bid, Maraga has been redirected by a section of local politicians to support his tribesman, the former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, instead.
Matiang'i, who is currently aligned with the United Opposition, is also heavily backed by Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka.
The former CS quit his World Bank job in Latin America to pursue the presidential bid and is seemingly backed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee Party.
