Deputy President William Ruto was welcomed by a junior official in Meru County after the area Governor Kiraitu Murungi and his deputy Titus Ntuchiu snubbed him by skipping a major government event.
On Friday, October 4, Ruto held two functions in Meru Town and the governor's absence became the talk of town.
The Standard reported that Governor Murungi skipped Ruto's first stop at the Meru Level Five Hospital despite the facility being under the devolved unit.
The two county leaders went on to skip Nominated MP Halima Mucheke's homecoming party at Meru Polytechnic.
The junior county official who welcomed Ruto was asked to speak on behalf of the county. However, no apologies were offered by the governor and his deputy. The county representative steered away from the issue, and chose to rant over the government's intimidations.
“We condemn the increasing autocratic tendencies in government that are rolling us back to the one-party era days,” Al Hajj Mwendia, the county director of events stated.
The governor, however, sent a Ksh100,000 donation to a harambee that DP Ruto had attended.
"I have come to Meru several times and I will keep coming until I streamline the issues affecting this country. As Jubilee leaders, we were elected on the promise of delivering development and all of us must do that. The rest have nothing much but to make noise," Ruto told the crowd.
Meru Senator Mithika Linturi and Rahim Dawood (North Imenti MP) also attended the harambee.
"Send our message to President Uhuru Kenyatta that Meru is settled on the 10 years for him and 10 years for you,” Linturi requested while speaking to the DP.
