Gatundu South Member of Parliament Moses Kuria now claims that a section of Mt Kenya leaders who are supporting Azimio flag-bearer Raila Odinga have a hidden plan.
Speaking on Saturday, May 21, during the Murang'a economic forum, the Chama Cha Kazi party leader warned that the leaders purporting to campaign for the former Prime Minister were only backing their own, his running mate, Martha Karua, whom they hope will replace him in future.
Kuria added that the leaders were secretly going behind Odinga's back on the ground and that they would eventually edge him out should the time come.
"There is a leader from where I come from, who I will not mention by name, who has gone around telling the people to look for someone else. What kind of a relationship is that? Isn't that deceit?" Kuria questioned.
The outspoken lawmaker opined that people from Central Kenya had never voted for Odinga since 1997 and that picking Karua in the region would not change his fortunes. He further stated that not even President Uhuru Kenyatta's influence would help him.
"That is why I keep telling my sister Martha, who I am very close to, that even if she is posed to be the most expensive perfume, if sprayed on a toilet, it will still stink.
"The toilet called Kuzimia began stinking a long time ago. It is not by accident that we did not vote for him in 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2017 we did not vote for him. We did not reject him because of Uhuru and we will not accept him because of that," Kuria added.
Kuria asked the the region to rally behind Deputy President William Ruto and his hustler narrative and reject Azimio.
His position was echoed by Kiambu Woman Representative Gathoni Wamuchomba, who told the former Prime Minister that aspirants in the region did not believe that he would emerge victorious in the polls and were only using the Azimio brand.
"They do not love you and that is why they do not join you in rallies. They know you will lose again and that is why they are now telling voters to vote for them as individuals, not as parties and that the top vote was open (lakini hapo juu mjipange)," she stated.
DP Ruto's Kenya Kwanza camp has openly dismissed the picking of Karua as Odinga's running mate, claiming that it posed no significant threat to the Ruto-Gachagua ticket.
Furthermore, they poured cold water on a recent poll by TIFA that revealed that a Raila-Karua ticket would clinch the victory if elections were to be held in May.
The pollster's latest survey put Odinga ahead with 39% followed closely by Ruto at 35% with 14% of voters still undecided.
