Former Nyeri Town Member of Parliament Ngunjiri Wambugu, on Tuesday, May 23, expressed his disappointment with Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, arguing that the former head of state was misleading Jubilee diehards.
While analysing speeches at the Jubilee Party National Delegates Conference, Wambugu, a political scientist, opined that Uhuru failed to inspire confidence in Kenyans who had longed to see him unite the country.
The former legislator pinpointed four key mishaps in Uhuru's speech, leaving many politicians more confused and disappointed.
"Jubilee's so-called National Delegates Conference should not be referred to as NDC because it did not meet what it was intended for," Wambugu claimed in a video-recorded analysis.
Kioni Contradicting Uhuru Over Ruto's Victory
He explained that most Mt Kenya election losers expected the Retired President to set records straight over the August 2022 General Election and its aftermath. Jubilee's top leadership, he underlined, contradicted itself at the NDC by issuing different statements and deviating from facing the elephant in the room.
"Honourable Jeremiah Kioni stands up and says that Azimio la Umoja won the election with an overwhelming vote from Central Kenya.
"While his boss, Uhuru Kenyatta stated that the people decided, voted and the election was concluded, as such, he willingly handed over power to Ruto as the Head of State," Wambugu noted.
The former MP explained that Kenyans wanted to move on. Still, their desire was dealt a blow on Monday, May 22, after Uhuru and former Ndaragua MP Jeremiah Kioni went on a speech-contradiction spree.
"It is obvious that Uhuru knows much more than Kioni in as far as the August 2022 General Election was concerned, and once he approved of Ruto's victory, Kioni should not stand and contradict his boss.
"Uhuru actually, confirmed that the government was legitimately handed over Ruto. So, how then does Kioni stand up and claim that Ruto is not the legitimate President of the country?" Wambugu wondered.
The former Nyeri MP also claimed that Uhuru was playing coy, and refusing to share facts of the August 2022 General Election, in what may be perceived as keeping Raila in the dark.
According to Wambugu, what the country needed during the heightened political temperatures was acknowledging that Ruto won the election fair and square regardless of the challenges that were witnessed.
Therefore, he urged the Jubilee Party leadership to desist from pushing the narrative that Ruto won illegally, which will expose them to more ridicule since the country was already moving on from the past elections.
In particular, Wambugu would like to see Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta share vital information about the Presidential Election and call his lieutenants to order.
"I expected Uhuru Kenyatta to correct Kioni and tell him that Ruto legally won the election. I expected Uhuru to tell Kioni that he handed over power to William Ruto and not Raila Odinga," Wambugu asserted.
The embattled Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni had previously claimed that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Raila Odinga won the election with over seven million votes.
"Most of the manipulation that was done happened within the Mount Kenya region," Kioni claimed on January 18, 2023, as he referred to data from a controversial whistleblower.
Misguided Jubilee Resolutions
The former Nyeri Town MP claimed that the Jubilee Party leadership committed illegalities by inviting non-members to take part in outlining resolutions.
Wambugu was categorical that Advocate Ndegwa Njiru was not supposed to read the party resolutions since he was not a party member.
"There is a raft of resolutions that a Lawyer from NARC Kenya read. Lawyer Ndegwa Njiru contested and lost elections on a NARC Kenya ticket.
"Why would such a person be the one to read party resolutions?" Wambugu wondered.
Kenyans.co.ke could not independently verify whether Ndegwa was a Jubilee member. However, after the NDC, the lawyer continued to speak on behalf of the party, further indicating that it would proceed to court to counter any attempts to deny Uhuru his retirement perks.
Tainting the Image of the Nation
The former Legislator claimed that the Retired President was using his political party to advance personal interests and to protect himself from Ruto's regime.
"Somebody needs to tell our party leader the truth that you are beginning to make us look bad, especially, those of us who went out of our way to support your choices.
"Unfortunately, when I listened to Uhuru Kenyatta today, I only saw personal interest, especially, when he called out junior people who were trying to control the party," Wambugu stated.
Wambugu asked Uhuru to recognise that his time as Jubilee Party leader and political figure was over and mentor a new leader to ensure the party remains relevant after his exit.
"What you are currently doing is the same thing that we kept asking you to do - to mobilise us to win the election.
"You really cannot use our party to defend yourself. The Jubilee Party cannot be your shield against political onslaughts from the current administration," Wambugu stated.
Disunity in the Party
Wambugu noted that he failed to attend the Jubilee Party's National Delegates Conference after it became clear that the leadership was not trying to unite people.
"I did not attend the National Delegates Conference because I don't believe we needed one, not as divided as we are currently.
"I know of many Jubilee Party members who were not invited to the National Delegates Conference (NDC), for reasons best known to the leadership," Wambugu claimed.
He urged the Retired President to ensure the country remains peaceful by undertaking political activities encouraging unity at the Jubilee Party and national levels.
"Politics is all about negotiations. Right now, the Jubilee Party is suffering from an identity crisis, not knowing where we belong," Wambugu stated.
