Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua who has been holed in his rural home in Mathira for the last three days has come under severe attacks from sections of the ruling Kenya Kwanza leaders after he appeared to endorse the conference.
A conference organised by the opposition lead by Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua and Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni has caused a big split in Mt Kenya region – a region that overwhelmingly voted for the ruling Kenya Kwanza government.
What started off as a low-key conference to discuss pertinent issues of concern in Mt Kenya region has suddenly become a hot political potato after it gained traction for identifying with the issues facing the region.
One of the key agenda of the conference is the pushing for the adoption of the one-man-one-vote-one-shilling as it was championed by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in the stalled Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) project.
At the weekend, DP Gachagua sent tongues wagging after he openly supported the one-man-one-vote-one shilling and declared that he will lead the campaign to ensure it is achieved for equity and fairness.
Speaking in Embu, Gachagua said resources are about people and therefore should be shared according to population, lamenting that Mt Kenya region has been shortchanged for a long time, and it was the opportune time to correct the historical injustice.
He added that it was unfair for a constituency like Ruiru in Kiambu County with close to 800,000 people to receive the same amount of money as constituency with only 14,000 people. He said that the more people a region has, it also pays more taxes.
Among those who attacked him was Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana who said Kenya Kwanza has never sat to agree on the one-vote-one-man-one shilling saying resources should be shared according to land size.
Cabinet Secreatary Moses Kuria also indirectly attacked the DP when he said that Mt Kenya leaders in government should be pushing the agenda within government instead of speaking about in political rallies. He later on said he had pulled out the Limuru 3 conference because a leader he did not name was trying to block his attendance.
A host of Kenya Kwanza MPs from Mt Kenya also attacked DP Gachagua and accused him of being behind the conference and financing it – a claim the organisers have denied.
The organisers have said that there are no formal invitation to Limuru and all Gema residents are welcome to attend without any coercion. They say everyone was welcome to attend and is expected to foot his or her own travel expenses since the conference is an open forum where people from the region will discuss burning issues from the region and how to address them.
Despite voting in large numbers for the current regime residents of Mt Kenya has a litany of complaints against the government which they say has impoverished them despite promising them sweet promises.
A key complaint is high taxation that has earned President Ruto the epithet “Zakayo”, collapsing businesses, problems with agriculture including fake fertilizers, collapsing health and education sectors made worse by a steady decline in standards of living.
