Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has told off critics of his call for the Mt Kenya region to unite.
The DP said those criticising the unity call should stop equating it with tribalism.
Gachagua said his rallying call is aimed at uniting the entire Mt Kenya region comprising those who voted for the Opposition and those fully behind President William Ruto.
"When we call for unity of this region, it is not against anybody. There are people confusing our unity agenda with tribalism, they get it wrong," Gachagua said.
"Far from it, people want unity of purpose so that we can effectively push for our fair share of the national cake and relevance in the national political discourse. If we are not united, we will not be strong."
Gachagua asked leaders to unite in their respective regions to promote cohesion in the country.
"I'm happy because people at the grassroots are united and in support of our unity agenda. The leaders fighting it and criticising should learn that all politics is local and they should listen to the ground," he added.
The DP was speaking at Gikondi village, Mukurwe-ini, Nyeri county, during the memorial service of Elizabeth Muthoni, daughter of the former area MP Anthony Kiai.
Gachagua urged the other regions in the country to also unite and address their local issues and enhance national unity.
The Deputy President was in the company of a host of political leaders led by Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kahiga.
Gachagua recently emphasised the need for the one-man–one-vote–one-shilling mantra saying it will ensure equitable resource distribution across Kenya.
“In matters of revenue sharing, I firmly believe in one-man-one-vote-one-shilling. It’s a straightforward concept; the more people there are in an area, the more taxes they contribute and the more funding they deserve to receive,” Gachagua said.
On the ongoing reforms in the Agriculture sector, the Deputy President urged coffee farmers to be patient with the government as it strives to revive the sub-sector.
"We are still on course to revive the coffee sub-sector and make the crop profitable. The President mandated me to lead the reforms. We are registering positive results," he told farmers.
Last week, President Ruto announced that the government will provide a Sh6.9 billion debt write-off for coffee cooperatives.
