Discontent is growing over the Sagana State Lodge meeting between Mt Kenya leaders and President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday last week.
There are already indications that legislators allied to Deputy President William Ruto popularly known as Tangatanga are organising a fresh meeting after what they claim was humiliation.
“Some people are like the night bird that closes its eyes and ears and starts singing and the only thing it can hear in the forest is its own voice. That was the design of that meeting,” says Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria.
Source who attended the meeting say only elected leaders allied to the President were asked to mobilise delegates to Sagana while the Tangatanga team only got individual invites.
Surrender their phones
From the list of speakers, sitting arrangement and the invite leaders, the stage was set for a major statement from the organisers.
Despite some leaders being ordered to surrender their mobile phones and other electronic gadgets capable of recording the proceedings, images and video clips of the event were circulating even before the meeting ended.
Some MPs friendly to the President were allowed to invite up to 20 delegates and women leaders, youth and business groups were asked to give lists of up to 50 delegates.
On the other hand, Tangatanga members were only allowed to bring one or two participants.
Maragua MP Mary Wamaua said a national government administrator in Murang’a County called her on the eve of the meeting to extend an invite. “What I understand is that the other leaders who attended the meeting from my constituency had been mobilised by the county administration,” she said yesterday.
She was among more than 15 legislators who later had a late lunch at the home of Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua
But Kangema MP Muturi Kigano, who is friendly to the President, admitted that he was allowed to invite 10 delegates.
“I was surprised to see other leaders from my constituency in the meeting but never got know how they received the invite,” said Mr Kigano.
He said the National Government Administration Office had been asked to invite former MPs and MCAs.
“There were members of Nyumba Kumi, churches and other interests groups including youth and women who attended the forum,” he said.
Surprisingly, Central Imenti MP Kirima Nguchine, who is a Ruto ally and was away in Oman, said he was called by the County Commissioner and asked to pick a delegation of 20. “We were well represented and my delegates got their Sh5,000 allowance and I loved the tone coming from the President,” said Mr Kirima adding that in December he will be lead a 150 delegation of Buuri, North Imenti and Central Imenti church leaders to a State House meeting.
Yesterday, Mr Kirima maintained there was no rift between the President and his deputy.
North Imenti MP Rahim Dawood and South Imenti’s Kathuri Murungi who are neutral in Jubilee said they received invites from Meru County Commissioner Allan Machari. Mr Dawood said he was surprised to learn that some leaders were given leeway to invite up to 20 people.
Mr Rigathi claimed that organisers of the meeting “terribly failed the President.” Speaking on a live TV show, the MP said issues afflicting Mt Kenya residents were not well articulated.
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