By John Mugendi
Kirinyaga Woman Rep Purity Wangui Ngirici has hit out at Deputy President William Ruto for saying that small political parties were propagating tribalism.
DP Ruto has been luring small parties to join his UDA Party but on condition that they fold up ruling out pre-election deals.
Mrs Ngirici, who decamped Dr Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance recently, maintained that Mt Kenya interests cannot be dictated by outsiders.
In what was seen as likely preference for ODM Leader Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja Movement, Mrs Ngirici said it was only through partnerships and electing independent leaders that the vote-rich region would benefit.
She said only a formidable coalition would ensure that in case a Deputy President is picked from Mt Kenya, he or she is respected.
“This is the voice being echoed by former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo, ex-Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri, Narc Leader Martha Karua, Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi and Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria who have political parties that some quarters are referring to as tribal arrangements,” she said.
The MP said while the region might not be producing a President in the August elections, the region had numbers to influence the outcome of the Presidential polls.
Mrs Ngirici quit UDA over alleged demands from top Party officials for her to drop her gubernatorial quest and vie for Mwea MP seat.
She said Kirinyaga residents were at liberty to vote Mr Odinga, DP Ruto or any of the One Kenya Alliance leaders but appealed to them to elect her as their Governor in coming elections revealing that she will vie on independent ticket.
