GOVERNOR, WOMEN REP SKIP JUBILEE FUNDRAISER

Nandi governor Cleophas Lagat alongside women representative Zipporah Kering skipped a church fundraiser organised by Jubilee and attended by officials from deputy president William Ruto’s office. The governor style of leadership which is on confrontational but development oriented has endeared him to Nandi county voters.

 All indications were that the two were expected at the Kaptumo church venue going by the presence of their lieutenants and office personnel but they chose to stay away either because of their personal reasons or they did not want to be dragged in referendum debate that is reverberating in the country.

While nothing was heard from governor Lagat in terms of apology or contribution, Kering, despite the venue being home area, sent a late apology through Senator Sang. Four other MPs from the county skipped the function and no word was given on their whereabouts. Governor Lagat stayed away partly because he did not want to entertain the senators, particularly Senator Sang, who masterminded a law which dictates the establishment of county development boards and their composition.

 True to the expected, the call against the referendum dominated the church function with every speaker accusing Cord of attempting to take power through the backdoor. The governor chose to act cautiously after the same leaders humiliated him months ago in the same constituency by messing up with protocol layout in a similar fundraiser officiated by deputy president William Ruto.

He was said to have sensed from far, all the tricks the boys were intending to apply to force him to dump Governor Issac Ruto’s bandwagon of governors spearheading the referendum campaign. Kering ostensibly skipped because it was championed by Maryanne Kettany, a resident, from office of the deputy president, hence high fears that some forces could be grooming her for a political seat.

Keiyo South MP Jackson Kiptanui opened the platform with a big no to the referendum as he accused the opposition of using it as disguise to grab power. The harambee was in aid of a church in Nandi Hills constituency but was rescheduled to Aldai constituency to avoid Jubilee critic MP Alfred Keter from gatecrashing and pouring divergent views on referendum. Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi said that during the 2010 referendum, Ruto agitated for amendments to the constitution before passage but Cord leader Raila Odinga and his team dismissed him.

Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri assured residents that the president and his deputy will not part ways until their post 2022 political agreement is fulfilled and likened those hoping otherwise to a fabled hungry hyena stalking a human being with high hopes hands could fall off for it to devour.

Elgeyo Marakwet senator Kipchumba Murkomen said people are tired of continuous elections and called for clear election timetable so as to induce investor confidence. He threatened to promulgate a law to cap the age of aspiring president at 70 years to lock the former prime minister out of the political arena. The senators asked governors to be accountable to the funds under them and stop agitating for more without any doubt how they utilised their previous allocations. Others who attended included Alice Ng’ang’a of Thika town, Florence Kajuju women rep Meru, Kericho senator Charles Keter and Mithika Linturi who was the chief guest.