Jubilee Party Secretary General, Jeremiah Kioni, lost his cool and blasted a journalist after being asked to address the media in his vernacular, Kikuyu.
Speaking during a press briefing at the party headquarters on Friday, August 12, a seemingly angry Kioni alleged that the calls by journalists to have him address them in vernacular were part of the Azimio la Umoja's dismal performance in the Mount Kenya region in the 2022 polls.
He noted that most of the issues addressed during the press conferences were of national importance and speaking in vernacular would trivialise the whole exercise.
"This habit of telling us to talk to you in Kikuyu when we are addressing national issues is what has contributed to the mess in Mount Kenya. You continue isolating us when we are talking about national issues until you are cooked as a small unit in Mount Kenya.
"You have a team that has been introduced by vernacular stations who are going to represent without the national/global thing. Very dangerous for a community," Kioni remarked.
On the much anticipated presidential election results, Kioni expressed confidence that the Azimio la Umoja candidate, Raila Odinga, would emerge victorious.
He opined that the vote-rich region will now have to contend with being in opposition after a majority of parliamentarians were elected on United Democratic Alliance (UDA) tickets.
"For the first time since 1969, we have volunteered ourselves into the opposition. It is embarrassing. For the record, let all know there was no Yellow Wave in the Mount Kenya region including other regions like Bungoma, Taita Taveta and Kisii. These claims are far from the truth," Kioni added.
Further, he brushed off the dismal performance of President Uhuru Kenyatta's party in the region with a majority of their parliamentary candidates failing to clinch seats.
Some of the Jubilee MPs who lost to UDA candidates included, Kioni (Ndaragwa), Kanini Kega (Kieni) and Peter Mwathi (Limuru).
He, however, opined that the party had done well in ensuring Raila garnered more votes in the region.
“Was it not for the messaging and the work that was done by my colleagues, it is possible that William Ruto would have been declared president three days ago," Kioni argued.
The statements by Kioni comes barely a day after the Jubilee Party claimed that there was mass rigging in the region.
