Kabando to Gachagua: Be a statesman, stop Railaphobia

 

Former Mukurwe-ini MP Kabando wa Kabando has called on Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to stop what he has termed as politics of ethnicity.

Kabando in a series of tweets on Saturday said Opposition leader Raila Odinga has never been a problem to the people of Mt Kenya.

His sentiments come barely a day after Gachagua revealed plans to reach out to former President Uhuru Kenyatta to bury the hatchet for the sake of Mt Kenya unity.

Kabando said Kenya has two tribes which he referred to as merchants of graft and victims of graft.

“Dear my people of Mt Kenya region, Raila Odinga was never, is not, and shall never be our enemy. Kenya is only of two tribes - one, merchants of graft, and two, victims of corruption. Looters use RAO as the bogeyman to stir ethnic paranoia, to dominate us,” he said.

He said that despite Raila's loss in the last election, those who vigorously campaigned and voted for do not regret it.

“You defeated us fairly, we accepted and congratulated Rais Ruto. I respect you, Sir. Kindly stop this nonsense of stocking ethnic hate, Railaphobia,” Kabando said.

He said even though he agrees that UDA won the elections fairly, it is high time for the DP to behave like a Statesman and stop the politics of ethnicity and hate.

Kabando said he was the first Azimio aspirant to accept that Raila lost, went ahead to congratulate him, and even urged other colleagues in Azimio to move on to oversight the regime.

“I recognise him (Gachagua) as our DP. But for the record, I don't support him nor can I be among those greedy Mt Kenya Azimiosts he's recruiting for Ruto. Yes, I left a limping Azimio but I oppose Ruto,” Kabando went on.

He said the majority of those who voted for Ruto are now in tears and regretting adding that even though people close to him will not tell the truth, his era is causing pain and suffering to Kenyans.

The DP, who has previously launched attacks on Uhuru, said he has resolved to work out a plan to unite the community and heal the 2022 election wounds.

"Kenyatta was fronting Raila Odinga for the presidency and he lost. We have now decided to embrace him as our respectable son and statesman despite everything,” Gachagua said in an interview with Inooro Radio on Friday.

The DP had after the polls accused Uhuru of imposing Raila on the region yet he had made an agreement to back Ruto.

He accused the retired President of persecuting him and using the criminal justice system to frustrate him when he decided to support Ruto.

At some point, Gachagua blamed Uhuru for sending security officers to humiliate and arrest him from his Mathira home ahead of the 2022 polls.

On Friday, Gachagua said he has directed leaders from the Mt Kenya region to respect Uhuru and his family saying that would be the way going forward.   BY   THE STAR