I’m de facto spokesman for Mt Kenya, Peter Munya declares
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya during the Mt Kenya political leaders' convention at Luisoi Resort in Nyeri County on June 12, 2021.
What you need to know:
- The CS said he enjoys President Kenyatta’s goodwill and that he has been coordinating meetings of top government officials and elected leaders from Mt Kenya to address development gaps, therefore, there was no spokesman gap.
Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya on Monday declared himself the de facto Mt Kenya spokesperson “having been appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta to chair development meetings of the region”.
The CS said he enjoys President Kenyatta’s goodwill and that he has been coordinating meetings of top government officials and elected leaders from Mt Kenya to address development gaps, therefore, there was no spokesman gap.
In his sustained campaign against National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, who was named the region’s spokesman by elders last month, CS Munya accused the camp led by Governor Kiraitu Murungi of using the President’s name to split the Mt Kenya region.
“I am the chairman of Cabinet secretaries and senior government officers from the region. When we meet to look into issues facing the region, I am the one who presents them to the President. During the Sagana meeting, all elected leaders were directed by the President to present their issues to me for action,” he said.
The CS has also been named among senior government officials to ensure the success of the Building Bridges Initiative ( BBI) in the region.
He said he will host Central Kenya governors and other leaders on July 26 in Meru to push for the unity of the region, saying Mt Kenya “cannot afford to be in the opposition like we were under the Kanu government,” Mr Munya said.
Muturi “sham”
According to Mr Munya, a Njuri Ncheke elders’ gathering will soon be held to denounce Mr Muturi’s coronation.
“What happened at the Njuri Ncheke shrine is a sham. Muturi was duped by a few elders who are not representative of the council’s voice. Soon, you will see a meeting of all real Njuri Ncheke elders who will undo the mistake,” Mr Munya said during a farmers’ field day at Mwariama Stadium in Tigania East.
It has emerged that the CS was among senior Mt Kenya East politicians who declined to take up the spokesperson position after they were approached by Njuri Ncheke elders before Mr Muturi’s coronation.
None of the leaders in the region – governors Murungi (Meru), Muthomi Njuki (Tharaka-Nithi), Martin Wambora (Embu) and Mr Munya – volunteered to lead the region, forcing elders to settle on Mr Muturi, council secretary-general in charge of operations Josphat Murangiri said Thursday.
He said during the Sagana meeting with President Kenyatta early this year, the elders asked him to endorse “one of the sons of Meru” to lead the region to which he conceded, but none of the top politicians was willing since they wanted to concentrate on local politics.
