Murang'a Senator Irungu Kang'ata and Jubilee Party Vice Chairperson David Murathe on Sunday, March 13, clashed over whether Mount Kenya region will get the Deputy President slot in their respective coalitions.
Kang'ata, a member of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) which is under the Kenya Kwanza alliance opined that Central Kenya should forget about the DP Position in the Azimio la Umoja pact.
The Senator argued that despite Peter Kenneth being the favourite leader from the region to deputise former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the region stood no chance at getting the position.
"You (Murathe) have said that the DP position is not reserved for the people of Mount Kenya at Azimio. While in Kenya Kwanza, we will get the DP position, we will fight for it," he remarked
Kang'ata added that the running mate position in the coalition led by President Uhuru Kenyatta's handshake partner was reserved for the Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka who joined Azimio on March 12.
"For them, I get the impression that slot has already been given to Kalonzo, I saw that in the newspapers, or are you saying that Kalonzo will not get any position in the coalition?" Kangata posed.
On his part, Murathe claimed that it was pretentious for the former Senate Majority Whip to make such pronouncements, yet in Kenya Kwanza, they were not even certain of the slot.
"It is highly hypocritical for Kang’ata to sit here and claim that he would prefer that Peter Kenneth gets the Deputy President slot yet they are angling for the same position in UDA," he declared.
Murathe mooted that Kenya Kwanza's unity would be put to the test in the selection of the person to deputize their presidential candidate, citing the current demands from Musalia Mudavadi's Amani National Congress (ANC).
During a rally on March 12, Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala reiterated earlier demands by ANC, noting that they would only settle for the Second-in-Command position after yielding their presidential bid in favour of Ruto.
"They are not going to get it in UDA. Malala, who took Musalia to UDA gave the irreducible minimums for ANC to join UDA nad that would be the position of running mate.
"In any case, I am sorry for them because they are dammed if they do and if they don't. If they give Musalia, Mount Kenya walks, if they give it to central, Mudavadi walks," Murathe remarked.
When hard-pressed to respond to the Mudavadi's delicate situation, Kang'ata only noted that they were willing to fight for the running mate position although they were open for discussions on the make-or-break issue.
During the interview, Murathe rebuked the DP and politicians allied to him over sentiments they made during a political rally at the Thika Stadium on Sunday, March 13.
He accused tangatanga politicians of stooping low in what he termed was an assault not only on the president's persona but also his relatives and state corporations.
"You wonder what annoyed you people that you made attacks on the person of the president to a point that they went for the president's brother and other government officers," he remarked.
