- Munyoro spoke hours after 48 UDA MPs from Mt Kenya and Nairobi broke ranks with Gachagua and pledged allegiance to Interior CS Kithure Kindiki.
- He insisted that the government, led by President William Ruto, is firmly supported by Gachagua.
Image: FILE
Kigumo MP Joseph Munyoro has come to the defence of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua saying he's still Mt Kenya supremo.
Munyoro made the remarks just hours after 48 UDA MPs from Mt Kenya and Nairobi broke ranks with the DP and endorsed Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki as the Mt Kenya kingpin.
The MP said it's foolhardy for the leaders to claim to be advocating for national unity whilst advancing divisive agendas in their own backyard.
“Unless and until the Deputy President formally informs us of his inability to advocate for the rights of our region, we shall continue to stand by him as our highest representative in this administration,” Munyoro said in a statement.
He insisted that the government, led by President William Ruto, is firmly supported by Gachagua.
Gachagua recently claimed that there was a scheme by political forces to divide Mt Kenya, and told the region to ape Luo Nyanza, Ukambani and Kalenjin where leaders are respected.
Come Thursday, 48 MPs from Mt Kenya met and declared their allegiance to Kindiki as one best suited to connect the region to national development issues.
The MPs, largely drawn from the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, met in Nyahururu in Nyandarua county and agreed to back the Interior CS.
But in his statement, MP Munyoro, without mentioning the developement, condemned the move.
“We have reached a point where certain discussions have been taken too far. It is untenable to claim loyalty to this government while simultaneously contributing to its potential destabilisation,” he stated.
Munyoro added that leaders must avoid any actions, intentional or unintentional, that hinder service delivery to Kenyans by prematurely engaging in political campaigns.
“Unity in the Mt Kenya region cannot be achieved through the weakening of our own leadership,” he affirmed.
The 48 MPs, led by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah and Molo legislator Kuria Kimani, said they have resolved that the region’s link to the President will be Kindiki.
This, even as Gachagua is considered the senior-most Mt Kenya leader best placed to advocate for the region's interests in his capacity as Ruto's principal assistant.
But the MPs said they are breaking ranks with the DP because “Mt Kenya region risks suffering lack of development with stalled projects”.
“On this basis, we meet to restate our commitment to the unity and development agenda of all the people of Mt Kenya region and those in the diaspora, even as we advance the collective agenda of the Kenyan nation," they said.
"Accordingly, we are convinced beyond doubt that the unity of this region must be pursued in the context of unity of the nation as a whole. We are one indivisible people of Kenya and must always put our country first,” read part of their joint statement.