Wiper is unfairly targeting me for meeting Ruto but I have no regrets, MCA Wambua says

 A firm grip of handshake and a smiling face is what greeted us in this exclusive interview with Kyome/Thaana Member of County Assembly Hon Alex Wambua Mwangangi.

 

Wambua and 14 other MCAs from Kitui County had visited Deputy President William Ruto and seem to have had happy times at Karen, the Nairobi upmarket suburb which is the Kenya’s second-in-command official residence.

The MCA denied that he was ditching Wiper party for other outfits especially UDA which is associated with DP Ruto. When asked if indeed he was moving to DP’s party he says, “I have not left Wiper as such but there is a political wave. I am not saying I am ditching Wiper but I am also not saying I cannot dump the party for a better one”, he says.

He accuses Wiper party of being intolerant to divergent views and not embracing democracy which entails being able to accommodate others to foster a richer relationship. 

Wambua says that the Kalonzo Musyoka party wrote them a show cause letter to explain why they visited DP Ruto. The party also dewhipped him from three county assembly committees that he sits in. He says this was unprocedural.

The August House must adapt a resolution to remove a member from a committee. The party has no say in dewhipping MCAs from committees, he says. He dares Wiper to take the remaining forth committee membership given it only removed him from three others and he was sitting in four committees before the ruthless purge. He says he has no regrets for going to Karen to meet DP Ruto.

In a letter dated August 12 written by Majority Party Whip Stephen Musili, the Kyome/Thaana MCA was discharged from three committees which were the Public Investments and Accounts, Land, Infrastructure and Urban Development and Agriculture, Water and Irrigation committees. The letter served as a notice under Standing Order 156 (1) of the County Assembly of Kitui. 

The copy of above letter has been seen by Mwingi Times. It was addressed to Speaker George Ndotto and copied to Majority Leader Peter Kilonzo and Kyome/Thaana MCA Alex Wambua.

The Kyome/Thaana MCA says that there was no wrong he and his colleagues made by visiting the deputy president adding that his office is constitutionally recognized. He reiterates that Ruto is the deputy president and “we have no other deputy president”.

Concerning his party loyalty to Wiper, he says that he is a party member and did not resign from the party. He says that even his party leader Kalonzo met other leaders who are not Wiper’s such as President Uhuru Kenyatta, former prime minster Raila Odinga and ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi.

He says he is more loyal to the party than Kalonzo because he only met Ruto and Kalonzo has been meeting many non-Wiper leaders every now and then.

Party realignments

Wambua says that Wiper mishandled his visit and there was no need of writing him a show cause letter. He says politics is about finding where one’s constituents can benefit from and if Ruto will offer better deal than others, then so be it. He says everyone is at liberty to join any political camp in this season of realignments.

When grilled by Mwingi Times about what offers Ruto gave the MCAs which made the visit irresistible, he says that they were not given anything and even if they were, it would have been what a host gives a visitor such as a bag of paw paws. “Ruto did not give us anything. Even if he gave, it would have been just paw paws which someone gives his visitors in a kiondo. We were just visitors and we were invited as leaders”, he tells us.

While insisting that the MCAs who visited Ruto were being unfairly targeted, he wonders why people are on their case yet other leaders including Kalonzo meet others and do not get shamed or asked what they were given to meet other leaders.

Wambua concludes that OKA leaders and President Uhuru and Raila have a fear of the unknown and do not have confidence in their own outfit to face Ruto in next year’s presidential polls.

While declaring he has no regret of being removed from Wiper party if it comes to that, he says that even Kalonzo has been failing in elections since 2007. Kitui Speaker George Ndotto too failed as Kitui Central MP by losing his seat to governor Charity Ngilu in 1997 and 2007.

On Thursday, Kitui County Speaker George Mutua Ndotto dismissed the MCAs who had visited the deputy president as self-seekers and perpetual party hoppers. He also declared Kitui as Kalonzo’s stronghold. “UDA party has no representation in Kitui County Assembly and those MCAs who we were hosted by Hon Dr William Ruto at his home for two days are well known party self-seekers and perpetual party hoppers who can be hired by anyone. We strongly dissociate the County Assembly of Kitui with their actions.”, he said.

While reacting to statements of castigating the political leaders who paid him a visit in his Karen residence, DP Ruto said his journey to State House was unstoppable despite State intimidation. “If you want to compete with the Hustler Nation, please, assemble a semblance of a programme or a policy an agenda so that you can compete with us. Otherwise, the fear you are selling has a shelf life. In another two, three months, the price of fear will have dropped to zero and you will sink.”, said the DP while meeting Kitui MCAs.

STORY By MUSYOKA NGUI, Editor-in-Chief Mwingi Times