Former Mungiki leader, Maina Njenga, has divulged details of his relationship with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga- describing him as a loyal confidant over the years.
So close is their friendship that Njenga neighbours the former Premier in Nairobi's leafy suburb of Karen. Njenga, in an interview with NTV, detailed that he came to know Raila when he was only 20 years old and their friendship blossomed ever since.
He noted that they have undergone similar tribulations with the ODM party leader and in the end, they both defied the odds and rose like the proverbial phoenix.
"Many people don't know that I'm a next-door neighbour to the ODM leader in Karen. He has been my friend for many years. I came to know Raila when I was 20-years-old."
" I believed in what he was doing when he was struggling to put the country right. We share many things in common, I was imprisoned in the same cell that Raila stayed in. "
"People have rejected Raila, they have rejected me but after some time we have seen people embrace us again. They were doing that because of ignorance," he stated.
At 53, Njenga noted that their loyalty to each other would trample other political hurdles in the course of their careers.
Njenga also detailed his perception of Deputy President William Ruto- referring to a rally held by the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in December 2021 where the former Mungiki leader was not accorded a chance to speak despite his supporters urging for Njenga to address them.
"We had scores of supporters who were agitated after I was not accorded the chance to address the crowd. They stated that it was a UDA meeting but when they come to a place, they need to give the leaders present a chance to air their problems," he stated.
"DP Ruto wants to unite with those in Western Kenya but when he comes to the Mt. Kenya region he says he wants one party. Don’t you see he has a problem? You should decide if you want to bring the parties together, bring them in the whole country and not just stating that you don't want briefcase parties," he noted.
Njenga added that poverty is the main reason that causes youths in society to take up action and create enmity against other people.
"We don’t have any organised groups in Kenya. What we have is poverty; when people become poor they organise themselves," he stated.
The former Mungiki leader is eyeing the Laikipia Senate seat in the 2022 General Election.
