A series of videos and audio clips casting aspersions on the integrity of the newly elected Majority leader of the Laikipia County Assembly released online have gone viral.
Joseph Kiguru who is leading a low key campaign to oust Laikipia County governor Ndiritu Muriithi is captured on video demanding money menacingly as the war between the Assembly and the Executive escalated.
And the videos have caused calls for his removal to get louder barely three months after he took office after ousting the former majority leader Peter Thomi where former CS Mwangi Kiunjuri has been pointed as the hidden hand.
Kiunjuri is said to be eyeing the Laikipia gubernatorial seat in 2022 and is seen as the hand behind attempts to destabilize the county government in order to weaken the incumbent who is said to be among the few Mt Kenya governors likely to retain their seats.
Observers says the anti-Muriithi forces were behind the removal of Thomi who was seen as more moderate and rational and his replacement (Kiguru) was meant to be easy to manipulate.
However, the videos of Kiguru demanding money and talking of “njaa” hunger has astounded even his backers who are now afraid that he could easily be bought by the highest bidder especially after he said he had no personal differences with the governor.
The leakage of the clips has set the stage for epic leadership battle in Laikipia where former Murithi who is retired President Mwai Kibaki’s is wading off attempts to impeach him.
That the Igwamiti ward representative is now an isolated man is now clear after it emerged that some individuals close to him had severally recorded him as he aggressively demanded bribes during secret meetings.
The explicit videos have left him with an egg on his face and raised big questions on his morality and suitability as an elder of PCEA Nyahururu parish.
From the leaked video clips the new house Majority leader confesses to his colleagues that he’s being driven by ‘njaa.’
It emerged that Kiguru deposed Thomi as the Majority leader three months ago because he (Thomi) was not crafting strategies of extorting money from the executive ‘as it should be’ for passing motions.
“…vita ile iko hapa si ata ya Thomi au Kiguru…ni njaa inatukula. Wewe umepewa mkuki wa kutafutia wazee chakula lakini wewe umeweka mkuki chini. Thomi ameweka mkuki chini,” Kiguru is captured in the videosaying amidst protest from other MCAs.
Most of his colleagues believe Kiguru is on a dangerous revenge mission after his attempt to arm twist the County Treasury in parting with shs 60 million in order for the assembly to approve the infrastructure bond, failed to yield any fruits.
Matters came to a head on Thursday when other leaders snubbed a meeting which he and his Nanyuki ward representative Veronicah Ikunyua had convened at Aberdare Cottages Hotel ostensibly to mobilize support for the impeachment of Governor Muriithi.
His sponsor a local MP apparently chickened out of the meeting after learning that one of the audio clips that had gone viral was between him (MP) and Kiguru.
Most of the MCAs parked their vehicles early Thursday morning outside the assembly and vanished into thin air. In one of the audio clips, Kiguru and Veronicah are heard beseeching reluctant MP to attend the meeting.
Similarly on Wednesday, efforts by Kiguru and Ikunyua to mobilise his colleagues to address a media conference hit a brick wall after the MCAs ignored them.
An earlier attempt by Ikunyua to rally Nanyuki residents to demonstrate and burn a coffin to depict an imaginary pathetic state on Nanyuki hospital failed after the family a deceased woman refused to play ball.
