Azimio la Umoja principal, Martha Karua, reiterated that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga still enjoyed the support from Mt Kenya leaders amid reports claiming that the area Jubilee leaders ditched him for President William Ruto.
Karua argued that only a section and not all Mt Kenya politicians allied to Uhuru had expressed support for Ruto.
Her response, issued on Saturday, November 18, targeted Jubilee secretary general, Jeremiah Kioni, and former Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, who warmed up to Ruto.
‘A section of ‘ would be more accurate," Karua, who has been steadfast in opposition since Raila lost the August 9 polls, tweeted.
On his part, the National Assembly leader of the minority, Opiyo Wandayi, added that the leaders were free to jump into Ruto's bandwagon,
Opiyo, who doubles up as Ugunja MP, maintained that they would continue working with leaders who were determined to oversight and keep in check Ruto's government.
“ODM is a movement, and we will continue pushing for government accountability. We will not be part of their plans," Wandayi responded.
Earlier, Wambugu asserted that the time for Mt Kenya to forge its way forward had come.
The longtime Uhuru ally also disclosed that he, together with other leaders who lost in the elections, would support Ruto's government.
"We are in a new reality. Yesterday (Thursday, November 17), we continued discussing our role under this new dispensation. We agreed that, fundamentally, we must seek to add value wherever we can.
"We must also do whatever we can to help this government succeed, because its success is ultimately our success, as we are part of the Kenyan community," he stated.
Wambugu issued the remarks after meeting Azimio leaders who lost in the August 9 polls in the vote-rich region. Among them were former Limuru MP Peter Mwathi and his Kigumo counterpart Ruth Wangari.
His sentiments were echoed by Kioni, who opined that the region had already paid its debt by supporting Raila's presidential bid.
Insiders indicated that the jitter arose over the Azimio nominations to the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). Reports claimed that some of the leaders were eying the seats and wanted to be supported by Raila and his party.
“It was not planned. It just happened naturally. The vote in parliament taught us that we are on our own. It is not about politics or individuals. We want to ensure the nation and our people are okay,” Kioni stated.
Meanwhile, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been on a charm offensive to woo Raila allies in the vote-rich region.
Speaking on Friday, November 18, in Tharaka Nithi County, Gachagua stated that he supported Kanini Kega for the EALA seat and reiterated his call for unity.
"I spoke to Mt Kenya leaders, and they agreed to vote for former Kieni MP Kanini Kega, who was against us. That's the new Kenya we want. We acknowledge that the election is over, and we have work to do," he stated.
