Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni has said that Deputy President William Ruto and his brigade lied to the people of Mt Kenya region that ODM leader Raila Odinga is President Uhuru Kenyatta's preferred candidate in 2022 General Election.
Speaking on Monday, Kioni said that the Head of State has never told anyone from the region to go to the former Prime Minister's side.
"It's William Ruto and the UDA brigade that lied to the mountain that the candidate for Uhuru in 2022 is Raila Odinga for the reason that it’s very easy for him to campaign against Raila in Mt. Kenya region," he said in an interview on TV47.
The legislator stated that the DP only picked a candidate (Raila) to campaign against for four years but it's now coming back to haunt him.
Kioni, who was talking about 2022 succession politics of the Mt Kenya region, said that for long Luo Nyanza has been sold to them as a "threat" and that the Jaramogi family as people who will come and take away what they have.
"The family did not endear itself to the community during their campaigns because they also played hardball, something that is very difficult to undo in one year," the MP said.
Kioni said all the President did was have an alliance with Raila, a move that helped the country get back on the right track.
This comes even as Ruto and Raila battle for the Mt Kenya vote ahead of next year's general elections.
The region has a section of its leaders supporting Ruto as the right man to succeed Uhuru in 2022, while others are rooting for Raila.
The DP has been attending church fundraisers in the region as he seeks to consolidate the vote.
Raila has been privately meeting Mt Kenya leaders as he makes inroads into the region.