Buzeki slams Tangatanga and Kieleweke teams

Uasin Gishu politician and businessman Bundotich Zedekiah Kiprop, popularly known as Buzeki, has faulted the Jubilee government for the emergence of Tangatanga and Kieleweke political groupings within the party which he termed as a diversionary tactic after failing to deliver on its pledges.

Mr Buzeki on Tuesday described the two groups as amorphous outfits which have nothing new to offer Kenyans.

POLITICAL PROMISES

“These are formations for self-serving people. They were not part of the Jubilee manifesto. This is a fake promise which do not exist,” said Mr Buzeki.

Mr Buzeki, who recently joined former Bomet governor Isaac Ruto led Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) party, said elected leaders under the Jubilee Party were aligning themselves in the two factions as a scapegoat for their failure to deliver their mandates.

“During the last elections, the Jubilee Party never talked about Tanga Tanga and Kieleweke in its pre-election manifesto. So, the leaders who have no substance have chosen Tanga Tanga and Kieleweke as a scapegoat not to offer leadership to Kenyans ahead of 2022,” said Mr Buzeki.

The politician who spoke at his Ainabkoi home in Uasin Gishu County when he met CCM supporters comprising of former civic leaders, retired chiefs, elders and politicians who contested for elective seats on CCM ticket in 2017 election asked the two political functions to resolve their differences internally without involving the public.

“Tanga Tanga and Kieleweke should solve their differences before we intervene as ordinary Kenyans. These public engagements have no benefit to Kenyans,” added Mr Buzeki.

Mr Buzeki who unsuccessfully contested for the Jubilee Party ticket for the Uasin Gishu gubernatorial seat was defeated by incumbent Governor Jackson Mandago asked President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto tolerate each other until they complete their last term.

“We only have one president and his deputy and so they should be patient and tolerate each other until they finish the work that was mandated to them for the next five years,” added Mr Buzeki.

He accused a section of leaders in Uasin Gishu for dividing Kenyans on political grounds.

“We have some leaders in Uasin Gishu who think they can thrive politically by dividing Kenyans. They should come to us we teach them how they can implement development projects for their people,” said Mr Buzeki.

Delegates in the meeting said that CCM will be the political party that will be used by Rift Valley region after United Republican Party (URP) formed by DP Ruto was collapsed to form the Jubilee Party in the run-up to the 2017 General Election.

Buzeki said the party will champion unity in Rift Valley and warned a section of Jubilee politicians attempting to divide residents along tribal lines.

Mr Buzeki is expected to be installed as CCM Secretary General and officially open the party’s office in Eldoret in a ceremony that will be presided over by party leader Isaac Ruto later this month.

According to Mr Buzeki, Rift Valley political dynamics were fast changing and the era of sycophancy was almost coming to an end.

“The residents have come of age politically and they know what is right and wrong for the region. Just be consistent as a leader and the people will decide,” said Mr Buzeki.

Mr Buzeki, who worked closely with Dr Ruto in the last polls and was considered to be his preferred candidate for the Uasin Gishu seat lost narrowly to the current Governor Mandago in the Jubilee primaries and quit the party to run as an independent candidate but lost to Mr Mandago, garnering 148,124 votes against his opponent’s 193,606 votes.

Mr Buzeki recently urged the DP to reach out to other regions and ‘do away with sycophants’ if his 2022 presidential bid is anything to go by.

According to Mr Buzeki, the DP means well for the country but has been held hostage by political power brokers.

In the run-up to the 2017 general election, there were claims that the DP was fronting Mr Buzeki to succeed Mr Mandago, a factor which ruffled political feathers in the region.

It took President Uhuru Kenyatta and the DP, during their last tour of the North Rift, before the elections to prevail upon Mr Buzeki to step down in favour of the Jubilee Party candidate, Mr Mandago.