Politicians in Embu County, both
aspirants and incumbent, tore into the County Assembly Speaker, Kariuki Mate,
after reports of his appointment to the top position in the Jubilee Party
emerged. This was a rare unity show by the politicians who claimed that Mr.
Mate attended a meeting that was held on January 14 during which an agreement
was reached on how to share Jubilee tickets.
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| Embu County leaders address the media at Izaak Walton Inn |
However, the Speaker has denied the said
appointment to a senior position in the party. Mr. Mate said he has only
volunteered in mobilizing residents to come out in large numbers and register
as voters.
In a statement, Mr. Mate said, “I do not
hold any such position at JP, neither have I been appointed to any position at
JP Headquarters Secretariat. I have however volunteered to help in voter
mobilisation in the country for Jubilee, and in doing this, I need no
affirmation from aspirants in Embu.”
While addressing the media at a
conference in Izaak Walton Inn on January 1, 2017, Governor Martin Wambora,
Deputy Governor Dorothy Nditi, Senator Lenny Kivuti, Charles Njagagua, the MP
for Mbeere North, Njeru Ndwiga, a former Minister, and aspirants like John
Gitonga Mwaniki and Emilio Kathuri, expressed their fears that Mr. Mate’s
appointment as the Operations Director would disadvantage them during the
nominations.
According to the politicians, Mr. Mate
has already shown favouritism for some leaders in the county, citing that he
has publicly announced his support for Mr. Wambora’s opponent, MP Cecily
Mbarire.
Mr. Wambora said that efforts to reach
President Uhuru Kenyatta had born no fruits. However, the leaders said they
will stay put in the Party but remain vigilant to ensure free and fair
nominations.
“We are not running away from our party,
we are the owners. You can’t find a snake in your house and then you run away,”
said Mr Ndwiga.
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