Nyeri Town MP Duncan Maina Mathenge has opposed Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s calls to unite the Mount Kenya region, cautioning that the initiative is likely to isolate other areas.
Speaking during the Citizen Day Break show on Monday, the lawmaker criticized Mr Gachagua’s efforts and instead advised him to pursue a more nationalistic approach in his campaign, noting that his office symbolizes national unity.
“It is the responsibility of the Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to safeguard the interests of the nation. He has to promote the unity of the entire country. In pursuit of our unity, we must be careful to remember we have ties with the rest of the country,” said Mr Mathenge.
The MP also distanced himself from the one-man, one-vote, one-shilling revenue sharing formula crusade and warned those behind the mantra that they risk being perceived as mere self-seekers.
This comes in the wake of Mr Gachagua’s push for the unanimity of the 15 counties that make up the Central region voting bloc, saying that such unity will maintain the area’s political relevance.
On Sunday, the deputy president asserted that politics involves the scramble for resources, thus justifying his push for the region’s interests.
“What is wrong with fighting for unity? We must fight for resources and fulfil what we promised our people after the election. I was a very bitter man after the election, it was very divisive but my wife prayed for me and I have forgiven people in this region,” Mr Gachagua said during a church service in Meru.
A day earlier in Nanyuki, while attending a musical extravaganza that had gathered artists from the Mt. Kenya region, Mr Gachagua claimed that the region had been infiltrated by ‘traitors’ whose mission is to divide the people of Mount Kenya region.
The deputy president asked the people to identify those not supporting his efforts for regional unity, suggesting they be punished at the ballot, likening them to Kenyans who collaborated with the British colonialists.
“When your members of Parliament come to your constituencies ask them where they stand on our unity and the sharing of resources through the one man, one vote, one-shilling formula,” Mr Gachagua said.
– Additional reporting by KNA
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