Published on May 1, 2024 by Kenya Online News
Last Updated on 2 years by Kenya Online News
Political leaders propagating ethnicity were called out as President William Ruto led Kenyans in celebrating this year’s labour day at Uhuru Gardens, Nairobi.
The President called out negative tribal driven leaders who have in the recent past being intentionally maligning Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja’s leadership and using all sorts of tribal cards to settle scores.
Ruto told off leaders hell bent on dividing Kenyans along tribal lines in what is seen as an attack on senior government officials and UDA Nairobi leaders who were on the receiving end as the President lashed out on them without calling names.
A section of leaders within government have in the recent past been fighting other leaders through tribal cards.
Embakasi North MP James Gakuya, who is facing off with Sakaja in the contest for the UDA Nairobi county chairman’s position, has severally appeared on vernacular TV stations describing how “Our Tribe, Our People” have been disadvantaged by Governor Sakaja, and went ahead to declare that he is never going to carry people on their backs and necks.
The sentiment was trained on a member of parliament from Uasin Gishu county who Gakuya alleged has interests in the garbage collection services. Gakuya referred to the MP as an outsider in Nairobi from “Eldoret”, and vehemently lashed out using the tribal card.
An insider within the circles of the deputy president revealed that the DPs Camp is worried that their push to malign Governor Sakaja was failing as Sakaja receives support from the President.
During a forum on the Salaries and Remuneration Commissions plan for Kenya. The Deputy President lashed out on supposedly a Governor is seated on the dias and went on to speak of being a stakeholder of Nairobi and therefore must directly interfer with the Independence of the Devolved Unit of Nairobi.
His sentiments were seen as sending warning shots that “his people” meaning Tribal Interest, need his active involvement in the independence of the devolved unit of Nairobi City County.
During the labour day celebrations, Sakaja calmly told his opponents to focus on service delivery not petty politics as President Ruto told off tribal chiefs to tell Kenyans what their plan for development was instead of ethnic balkanisation.
The President termed such acts as retarded and expired. “Kenya has come a long way from the bondage of tribalism and Ethnic mobilization by political leaders. Tell us that this plan is not good and tell us what is your plan not telling us of this tribe and that tribe. That is foolishness,” the President said.
Sakaja on his part said that he is confident he shall overcome the current situation that is not genuinely being pushed and he admitted that in the Political Landscape, one must be attacked.
“Papa Atwoli (referring to COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli) , I heard you say that you are pained when I am attacked, don’t feel any pain, this will end. It is just politics. Even me, I feel pain med when you are attacked but I want to tell you to be strong because it will also end,” Sakaja said.
