Mt Kenya Region is Safe in Martha Karua's Hands, President Uhuru Says
President Kenyatta has confirmed that he played a role in the selection of Nark-Kenya party leader Martha Karua as the running mate of the Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya coalition presidential flagbearer Raila Odinga.
Speaking during a meeting with 1,500 religious leaders drawn from all Mt Kenya counties at State House on Friday, Kenyatta said he settled on Karua because he has full confidence in her ability to safeguard the interest of the region.
"I settled on Martha Karua not because she is my friend, in fact you all know Martha and myself hardly agreed on anything there before. She even ran against me in 2012. But I settled on her because I have full confidence that our community is safe in her hands,” Kenyatta told the religious leaders.
Kenyatta further cited Karua’s integrity, principles, and the passion with which she defends the community as some of the reasons that make her the most suitable Mt Kenya region lynchpin.
At the same time, Kenyatta confirmed the recent revelation by Deputy President William Ruto that he was ready to give up the presidency following the nullification of the 2017 presidential election by the Supreme Court. In a meeting with a section of Kikuyu elders last week, Ruto said he nearly slapped Kenyatta after he suggested he would not take part in the repeat presidential election that was boycotted by his competitor Raila Odinga.
While recalling a tense meeting he had with Ruto at State House, the president said he was willing to give up his quest for a second term in office to avoid bloodshed in the country.
“Even if I was slapped because of my decision to resign, I would have asked them to slap the other side… I did not have space for war. There can be no development without peace and stability,” said Uhuru.
“Presidency is not more important than human lives. Hizi viti umeona tumekalia si muhimu sana kushinda maisha za binadamu (These seats we occupy are not more important than the lives of human beings.”
“In 2017 everybody knows what happened and we reached a point where the 2007/08 post-election violence was about to repeat itself. I do not speak of things that I cannot repeat tomorrow or deny later,” Uhuru told the clerics.
“God is great because even after they (opposition leaders) swore themselves in, thinking I would send police officers to deal with them, I did not do that. I said let them do it, I knew there would be bloodshed and loss of lives.”
Kenyatta insisted that he will retire after the August 9th elections and will not seek to extend his stay in power as alleged by some politicians allied to Ruto.
"I am longing for August 9th, I cast my vote for Raila Odinga and go home. I have served my 10 years and have no interest in extending my time in office even for a day,” he said.
Comments
This is the kind of fallacy…
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This is the kind of fallacy that keeps drawing Kenya back to tribal leaders. In any unlikely eventually that Karua gets elected , she is constitutionally supposed to represent all Kenyans. The reason why we have Mp/ senators to represent their local areas not tribal areas. Going by this fallacy, if Raila will take care of Nyanza interests in the presidential position and Karua for Mt Kenya, who then will represent the rest part of Kenya?
Ruto is the worst tribal…
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In reply to This is the kind of fallacy… by Asista (not verified)
Ruto is the worst tribal kingpin known to God and Kenyans. Do you all not say Ruto got 2000 kalenjin votes located in the Rift Valley?
Why do you thinks others should not have a kingpin? Central Kenya is the most metropolitan location in kenya where all the tribes are welcome and treated as Kenyans.
What is the record in your Surgoi backyard where Ruto kills kikuyu women and children because they are not kelenjins. Shut the hell up @asista. Your community is still undergoing metamorphosis. You have not fully involved to be human beings.
Mr President, Yes. Raila is…
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Mr President,
Yes. Raila is your preferred candidate. Not everyone is with you. Mt Kenya region does not need a specific individual to be a caretaker. We are and have always been in the hands of God.
The power you leaders have is power that God gave to the people. In turn the people lend it to you for a time ( in this case 10 years). Once your time is up you give that power back to the people so they can lend it to another person of their choice.
You cannot force any person onto the people. Like all others, as you join the common man you have your God given power of one vote. Use it wisely.
Martha Karua is only a running mate. Promote Raila, your real candidate.
Raila is our dirty past. Raila used Gikuyu's lives ( including those of children who could not vote)to ascend to the position of Prime Minister. How many Gikuyu businesses were destroyed; how many lives?
We could not get justice but we can never forget.
Now he says he has a "donkey" he is using to climb the mountain.
We are only three weeks to elections, we will see if with his dirty tricks he can get to the top of the mountain or will the blood of those he got killed make it too slippery for him to get to the top.
Let the best man win!!
Please go preach to your…
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In reply to Mr President, Yes. Raila is… by Anonymous (not verified)
Please go preach to your heathen WSR! The mountain has its owners dummy! Don’t to tell if we need a caretaker or not. Nobody to you who your caretaker is in Surgoi and Mogotio.
Poor and petty politics from…
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Poor and petty politics from Uhuru. I wish him to go with Joho and co.
Uhuru is a Kenyan and he has…
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In reply to Poor and petty politics from… by Cole (not verified)
Uhuru is a Kenyan and he has a huge political
Voice like it or not. I would rather have Uhuru hang out with Joho than the murderous Ruto.
Martha happens to come from…
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Martha happens to come from mt kenya and her record in politics and law is out there .president uhuru did the right thing by supporting Raila and martha. When Ruto got his share of government with Uhuru , he shared all cabinet posts with his kinsmen forgetting that kenya belongs to all tribes. the maturity that uhuru demonstrated will be remembered in history.
Thank you Uhuru kenyatta, you got it right
This is a stupid thoughtles…
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This is a stupid thoughtles statement : or is it only about Mt kenya and not Kenya . You UHURU will be the cause of the downfall of the man you want to rule Kenya. shut your mouth for a moment and let Kenyans decide . Kenyans have a voice and brains so do not speak or think for them
Kenyans have their owns…
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Kenyans have their owns brains na Sisi sio vifaranga au mbuzi tufuate whatever tunaambiwa.Uhuru we have u 10 yrs so maliza uende n let us vote for whoever we prefer if we make a mistake wr ready to leave with it.We won’t vote for a chaos,economic saboteurs greedy pawa maniac person who have no idea to lead kenya.U try to rig for your preferred candidate mr president Kenya will go to the dogs juu we the Huslers won’t agree to back off.Uhuru u could have remained mam without taking sides.
Mkenya. Halisi you have said…
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Mkenya. Halisi you have said it all
I can’t over emphasize
Uhunye maliza uende nyumbani
Seems like history has…
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Seems like history has taught us nothing.
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