Leave me out of your troubles, Kuria tells Kajiado ODM leaders

The burning of ODM offices in Kajiado has acquired a new twist with Governor David Nkedianye accusing Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria and Jubilee Party of having a hand in the arson.

While inspecting the burnt offices Tuesday, Dr Nkedianye, who was accompanied by Kajiado Central MP Elijah Memusi, Deputy Governor, Paul Ntiati, and ODM National Elections Board Chairperson Judith Pareno, wondered why the offices got burnt a day after Mr Kuria visited Kajiado.

But Mr Kuria has dismissed the allegations, saying the ODM leaders are trying to divert attention from their “diminishing political fortunes in Kajiado”.

“Moses Kuria came here and said that ODM would cease to exist in Kajiado,” What a coincidence that this arson takes place just a few days to the President’s visit to Kajiado,” wondered Dr Nkedianye.

“You don’t look for votes by burning people’s offices. They might have burnt the offices but they have not burnt people’s votes,” said the governor.

He added that they do not need politicians from outside the county to come and divide the people of Kajiado along ethnic lines.

JUBILEE CARAVAN

Dr Nkedianye was referring to the Mbele iko sawa caravan, which traversed Kajiado County, campaigning for President Uhuru and the Jubilee Party on June 30 and was led by the Gatundu South MP.

As the leaders were addressing the media outside the burnt out offices, across the road a tent where President Kenyatta will hold a public rally on Wednesday was being put up.

ODM offices in Kajiado were burnt on Saturday at around 4pm by unknown people.

NCIC

Mr Memusi called on the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to take action against Mr Kuria, whom he accused of making “disturbing” utterances in his mother tongue.

“Kajiado is a cosmopolitan county. You cannot come here and hurl all manner of abuses in your mother tongue,” said Mr Memusi who also called on law enforcement agencies to investigate the arson and apprehend those behind it, “although we suspect they have a hand in it”.

They later went to local DCI offices with the media in tow to register their complaint.

Kajiado Central DCIO Daniel Musangi, while acknowledging that investigations were at an advanced stage, urged the leaders not to politicise the arson.

LAND TUSSLE

“Preliminary investigations indicate that the arson could be related to ownership of the land where the offices stand,” said Mr Musangi, a thing that did not go down well with the governor and his team.

On Saturday evening, Kajiado County Commissioner Harsama Kello told Nation, by phone that at the time of the arson, no activities were taking place in the offices for some time and that no one was manning the premises.

KURIA RESPONDS

In a swift rejoinder, Mr Kuria asked Kajiado ODM leaders to leave him out of their troubles and instead focus on their “diminishing fortunes” in Kajiado politics.

“From what I saw, the Maasai people have made up their minds. They are in Jubilee.

“Nkedianye and Memusi are aware of that fact. They are now clutching at straws [by] trying to bring the ethnic angle,” said Mr Kuria.

“I highly suspect that they burnt their offices to attract sympathy because they know the tide is against them. I said that Memusi has done nothing for the people of Kajiado Central. All he does is follow Raila around the country. I also told them that Nkedianye has also done nothing for the people of Kajiado. That is what the people told me. I don’t live in Kajiado,” added Mr Kuria.

The Gatundu South MP said that Mr Kaparo should first release his commission’s findings on Mr Odinga’s recent utterances in Kajiado.

“That is what they are trying to divert attention from,” said Mr Kuria.