Embu residents were treated to a spectacle over the weekend as Manyatta MP Mukunji Gitonga and the Mbeti North MCA Muriithi Kobole disagreed in public over who should take credit for a road project.
The two leaders who belong to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) clashed during the road's official launch with each of them insisting they should be the ones recognised for the project's successful completion.
Gitonga stated that he was responsible for the tarmacking of 17km of roads within the town which he had championed for.
He added that it was through his initiative that the national government disbursed funds towards construction of the road.
“There is a very big difference between the county government and the national government, county governments receive their funds before we receive our share as the national government.”
“What I need people to know and understand is whose project this is and I have no problem with people stating that they asked to run for the project, but they need to know that the money came from the national government which is my mandate,” Gitonga explained.
On the other hand, the MCA Muriithi Kobole claimed that he lobbied for the road to be constructed and even sent letters to former Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia towards the same cause.
Kobole explained that it was only through his lobbying that the government availed resources needed to start the project.
Kobole also promised the residents that he would continue to lobby for the completion of a 500-metre stretch since it was his duty as the county legislator.
He also accused the MP of sabotaging the road's progress claiming that the lawmaker has been issuing contrary instructions to the contractor undertaking the project.
The MCA warned that he was prepared to do everything in his capacity to ensure the road's completion even if that means losing in the next general election.
The tiff between the MP and MCA is one of the cases of political leaders from the same region claiming credit for development projects.
