Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi tore into Deputy President William Ruto and his allies ahead of the much-anticipated Mt Kenya Building Bridges Initiative rally, wondering why they should attend a function they constantly attacked.
He was speaking at a BBI forum in Chuka, Meru, on Wednesday, February 26, and was joined by other local leaders who condemned BBI critics.
"They keep on saying that BBI is a waste of time. Seriously, if it is a waste of time, why are you availing yourself for the rally. Politics changes and we cannot be on the same scale. Today, those who were enemies are friends and those who were friends are enemies," Kiraitu stated.
A report by The Standard on Friday, February 28, further detailed that the meeting was experiencing major divisions after two separate groups came up with different documents containing proposals to be presented to the BBI taskforce.
This is unlike other regions whereby a common document was presented to the BBI team.
On Monday, February 24, a group of influential business people from the region under an umbrella dubbed Mt.Kenya Foundation (MKF) met local leaders as DP Ruto allies held a parallel forum.
On Thursday, February 27, while speaking at Kirubia Stadium in Tharaka Nithi, Governors Kiraitu (Meru), Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka Nithi), and Embu’s Martin Wambora, affirmed that the Meru rally would be led by the area governor and no efforts to disrupt the meeting would see the light of day.
"The forum is for us to articulate our issues. We do not want outsiders to say their things at Kinoru. We welcome our brothers and sisters from other regions to come and listen as we articulate our issues. Foolish politics must stop. Let us not mix BBI and 2022 elections," Kiraitu urged.
On the 2022 elections, the governor reiterated that the leadership mantle would be passed on to other communities, as he weighed in on President Uhuru Kenyatta's succession battle.
"I don’t see a president (from) here for another 20 years. It (the presidency) is not for us alone. We have even told the Kikuyu to let it go. But we have asked ourselves questions regarding where Kenyatta’s successor will take us," he proclaimed.
On Sunday, February 23, while speaking at Full Gospel Gatunduri Church in Embu, Ruto poked holes into BBI rallies, arguing that he would stop them over ethnic profiling.
“If this story we are being told about nobody can stop reggae… If the reggae is what we are seeing; the ethnicity that is being preached in BBI rallies and the ethnic profiling of communities, and the hate and campaign of one community against the other. If that is the reggae they are talking about… My friend reggae shall stop. We shall stop it,” Ruto declared.
On Thursday, February 13, Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria announced that Ruto and Odinga would share the podium for the first ever at a Building Bridges Initiative rally, in the much-anticipated event slated for Meru County.
