{UAH} Pojim/Ocen/Allan/Gwokto/Bobby et al: Waiguru: Why I skipped DP William Ruto’s event in Mwea
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Sunday August 5 2018
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru at a past event. She has denied snubbing a fundraising event attended by Deputy President William Ruto at Karoti Girls High School on Saturday. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
In Summary
- Senator Charles Kibiru, Deputy Governor Peter Ndambiri and MPs Robert Gichimu, John Munene and George Macharia were also absent.
- However, in his speech, DP Ruto read Governor Waiguru's apology for failure to attend the event and even presented the governor's donation of Sh200,000.
By JOSEPH WANGUIKirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has denied snubbing a fundraising event attended by Deputy President William Ruto at a school in Mwea on Saturday.
Only Kirinyaga Woman Representative Purity Ngirici, four Members of County Assembly, area MP Kabinga Wachira, former Senator Daniel Karaba and former County Assembly Speaker Anne Githinji attended the event at Karoti Girls High School.
Senator Charles Kibiru, Deputy Governor Peter Ndambiri and MPs Robert Gichimu (Gichugu), John Munene (Kirinyaga Central) and George Macharia (Ndia) were also absent.
"My office and majority of the leaders did not have any communication from the Deputy President on his intended visit to Kirinyaga as has been the practice in previous visits. We would have expected the officers in charge to make the necessary arrangements with local leadership and communicate accordingly. Why the decision was made to bypass protocol is open for debate," Governor Waiguru told the Nation on Sunday.
LAST MINUTE
She said, until the last minute, DP Ruto's presence at the event had not been confirmed as he had sent someone else (Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa) to represent him.
Mr Wamalwa had arrived around 2pm to represent Mr Ruto, who later turned up past 5pm on Saturday.
"The Kirinyaga County government has had nothing but reverence in previous occasions where we have hosted Mr Ruto. We are surprised at yesterday's (Saturday's) turn of events but we will steer clear of speculation," added Governor Waiguru.
However, in his speech, the Deputy President gave Ms Waiguru's apology and even presented the governor's donation of Sh200,000.
NOT INVITED
Kirinyaga County Assembly Leader of Majority James Kamau Mulango said the county government was not invited at the DP's event due to supremacy battles between the governor and Woman Rep Purity Ngirici.
He also said that most leaders missed the event because they were not formally informed about the Deputy President's visit.
"There was no invitation, we knew that the DP would be in Meru, not Kirinyaga," said Mr Mulango.
Despite the event being publicised through local vernacular media stations throughout the week, Mr Mulango said elected county leaders could not be invited to such an event through the media.
"Something is not right. Failure to invite us is perhaps (meant) to create impression that those who were absent do not want the DP. I met the governor (Waiguru) a day before the event and she was not aware of the visit," said Mr Mulango.
POLITICAL FIGHT
He added that the DP's programme was neither dispatched to governor nor to the county assembly.
The about 10 of the legislators who attended the DP's event were from Nakuru, Murang'a, Nyandarua, Nyeri, Kiambu and Nairobi counties.
Governor Waiguru and Ms Ngirici have been locked in a political cat fight following reports that the latter is developing interest of the county's top seat.
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