Two Kitui politicians have critcised Governor Charity Ngilu for her call to President Uhuru Kenyatta to block Deputy President William Ruto from ascending to the presidency in next year's general election.
The call came barely days after Ngilu asked Opposition leaders Kalonzo Musyoka and Raila Odinga to work together to ensure Ruto does not become president.
Kitui Central politicians Moses Banda and James Wambua have, however, took issue with the governor's campaign, saying she was obsessed with an unexplained hatred for the deputy president.
Ngilu on Friday asked Uhuru not to hand over power to Ruto when his term expires next year. The two were present at a ceremony in Kitui Central where the President presided over the opening of Museve shrine.
In separate statements on Monday, Banda and Wambua said Ngilu was out of order and that her remarks were against the spirit of the Constitution that allows anyone to run for president.
The two are DP Ruto's pointmen in Kitui. They asked Ngilu to practice politics that is guided by the law.
“Kenya is a multi-party democracy that prescribes that the president is constitutionally bound to hand over power to whoever is elected to succeed him. If that person is Deputy President William Ruto, then that is the person the Constitution will require to take over,” Banda said.
Banda is the chairman of DP Ruto's hustler movement, Kitui county branch.
“Ngilu should not derail the gains that the Constitution 2010 has bestowed on the people of Kenya. She should not behave like Kenya is still in the dark days and the autocratic era the 1980s,” he said.
Wambua said Ngilu was unfairly trying to portray Ruto as corrupt so that Kenyans can reject him at the ballot next year.
“The DP is on the ballot to be the next CEO of the Republic of Kenya and all voters will have a chance to choose their president in August 2022. Ngilu should, therefore, stop the hate for Ruto by portraying him as a corrupt person,” Wambua said.
He said Ngilu should tread carefully lest Ruto supporters in Kitui vote her out next year.
“We as leaders in Kitui who are backing William Ruto will make sure that our followers vote for leaders aligned to the DP and thus declare Ngilu as our common enemy in Kitui county,” Wambua said.
Edited by P.O