Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi/HANDOUT
Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has dismissed calls by some political leaders to separate Kiambu County from the Mt Kenya region or divide it into two counties, describing the proposals as divisive and politically motivated.
Wamatangi said the narrative was being advanced by leaders who had failed to deliver meaningful development projects during their time in office and were now resorting to politics of division.
"The narrative is being propagated by failed leaders who have nothing to show for the four years they have been in office," the governor said during a meeting with boda boda riders in Thika.
He challenged those advocating for the split to account for their development record, saying residents were more interested in service delivery than political rhetoric.
"Come and show the roads that you have constructed. Come and show us the classrooms that you have built in the county," he said.
Wamatangi argued that public projects benefit all residents regardless of where they are located within the county.
"There is no classroom written 'Kiambu East' or 'Kiambu West'. They are written 'Kiambu'," he said, adding that development should unite rather than divide the county.
The governor also rejected suggestions that Kiambu should be recognised as a separate region, questioning the constitutional basis of such a proposal.
"I heard an MP in an interview saying we want Kiambu to be referred to as a region. Region means what?" he posed.
"The Constitution recognises a county and a constituency only. What is a region? There is no money that will be allocated to a region."
Wamatangi further claimed that attempts to create divisions within Kiambu were intended to weaken the county's political influence.
"Our unity is our strength. They have planned for us because they have seen that our unity will make us speak with one voice," he said.
The governor also defended his past campaign for the "one man, one vote, one shilling" revenue-sharing formula, saying he had consistently fought for equitable allocation of national resources to counties with larger populations.
"I am the one who fought for one man, one vote, one shilling. Where were you when I was being branded a tribalist because I said we are many and we need more money?" he said.
Wamatangi recalled that his position on the revenue-sharing debate attracted political consequences, including his removal from the chairmanship of the National Assembly's Roads Committee during his tenure as a legislator.
"You were there in Parliament, but you were silent. I fought until I was stripped of my position. I was removed from the position of chairman of the Roads Committee," he said.
