Gachagua takes senators head on as Mt Kenya supremacy war rages

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has opened up a new battlefront with senators, accusing them of causing divisions and rebellion in Mt Kenya region.

Speaking when he accompanied President William Ruto on a three-day tour of Meru county on Thursday, the DP told UDA leaders to stop engaging in unnecessary issues.

He singled out Murang'a Senator Joe Nyutu and his Nyeri counterpart Wahome Wamatinga, saying they are engaging in needless issues on television.

"All UDA leaders should be careful with their utterances. I have seen some of these senators get excited when they go on TV. They get lost and get into unnecessary issues like our Nyeri senator today uttering useless things on TV after he became excited," he said.

The DP told the senators to focus on oversight of counties.

"National government programmes are handled by the president and he is our senator and should have asked me about the national government programmes happening in Nyeri," he said.

• .

  Keep Reading

• 
  Politics back in church as Ruto, Gachagua allies storm the pulpit
• 
  How new safety rules will lock out millions of farmers from market
• 
  Mt Kenya kingpin debate 'confuses' diaspora vote
• 
  DP doesn't deserve disrespect from Mt Kenya leaders

Wamatinga attended an interview on a vernacular TV station where he discussed the controversy surrounding UDA Mt Kenya leaders.

He claimed that a section of Mt Kenya leaders in Kenya Kwanza had reservations about their position in UDA and the distribution of power in the party.

"We made a big mistake by joining UDA without our formation because if we had our party, it would be no contest to DP Gachagua being the deputy party leader. Currently, some people have the guts to say they can be deputy party leaders," he said.

Wamatinga also delved into calls for youthful leaders to take over leadership.

"Youthful leaders will be mentored in good time as President William Ruto and DP Gachagua have said," he said.

The DP told the senators to be cautious about what they say in public.

"We want senators to be careful. Because we have also seen the Senator of Murang'a saying useless things with the Nyeri one," he said.

Gachagua directed Meru senator and deputy Senate Speaker Kathuri Murungi to reign in the senators.

"You are the deputy Speaker, call those senators from Murang'a and Nyeri, sit them down and tell them they are out of order," he said.

At Kanjai, where President Ruto launched the plan for a Sh150 million market, the DP said youthful politicians from the region should foster unity.

"I want to ask elected leaders, especially the youth, to speak in one voice. We don't want anyone to divide Mt Kenya counties," he said.

Gachagua told off ODM leaders saying they were spreading a false narrative that the Mt Kenya counties were divided politically.

"We are telling them to leave Mt Kenya alone. We are with Ruto as a region," he said.

Murungi said the Mount Kenya leaders want to move forward as a team and in support of President Ruto and his deputy.