Impeach me and get done with it, Governor Natembeya dares Ruto allies
Trans Nzoia County Governor George Natembeya.
What you need to know:
- Natembeya claimed part of his impeachment scheme is being fueled by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wa, whom he dismissed as "just another loud noisemaker".
- He denied Mr Ichung'wa’s claims linking him to the killing of the dumping of bodies in River Yala during Uhuru Kenyatta's rule, saying "in that Kenyatta presidency, the current president was the deputy president. In essence, Mr Ichung'wa was accusing his boss of then, being part of a murderous regime".
Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has dared President William Ruto's loyalists to impeach him so he would have a 'broader platform of being the public's voice'.
Speaking on Kameme FM, Mr Natembeya said government loyalists were convening clandestine meetings to effect his ouster plot.
"They are all over holding night meetings in neighbouring counties where the agenda is to impeach me owing to my stated political stand that solely is pro-ground," he said.
Dr Ruto’s allies in western and other parts of Kenya, he said, were brandishing tyranny of numbers to whip him into submission of not having a voice in both regional and national politics.
"They appear not privy to the fact that I was elected on an opposition ticket. The opposition has a voice in attempting to enrich governance debates, ideas and programmes. They want to entrench the culture of submission to powers that be," he said.
"They want to impeach me for my political stand: It is welcomed since it will give me a broader mandate to defend public interests".
He said the anchor to his woes is his perceived ties with impeached Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
He claimed part of the scheme is being fueled by National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wa, whom he dismissed as "just another loud noisemaker".
“They are afraid that people are listening more to those who offer them an escape route to a myriad of the problems dogging them," he said.
He denied Mr Ichung'wa’s claims linking him to the killing of the dumping of bodies in River Yala during Uhuru Kenyatta's rule, saying "in that Kenyatta presidency, the current president was the deputy president. In essence, Mr Ichung'wa was accusing his boss of then, being part of a murderous regime".
Mr Natembeya accused Mr Ichung'wa of embarrassing the president more than he pursued the agenda that was disturbing his mind.
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"Mr Ichung'wa was fuelled by Gachagua emotions...He was only fighting those he deems to be friends with Gachagua. If Mr Ichung'wa allowed a fraction of wisdom to guide him, he should have known visitor etiquette demanded first he respects the space he was standing on and then proceed to tame his tongue".
The former administrator said there was no way he could accept to lie to the people “that things are well when they are not", referring to Dr Ruto’s delivery versus the promises he made on the campaign trail.
“We cannot risk inheriting the proposed tag that we in the western region as long we the leaders have been well fed, we trouble no one".
He added that there was a certain Wong of the national politics that wanted to impose regional leaders on people.
"I will insist here that we in the western region do not have a regional kingpin. We do not have the people who can come down here to tell us what exactly we are in the national power matrix. Our people want that vacuum filled," he said.
He added that the country will always remain unfair to the marginalised both in population and development "as long as we continue to prefer praise and worship politics that is rewarded with individual gain and not transformative governance".
He said his heart is broken seeing government opportunities getting shared through loyalty check.
"You find a loyal MP has been handed about 500 job recruitment letters...they even share out entry into security recruitments," he said.
Mr Natembeya added that he is being fought politically for being perceived to align himself with Mountain politics.
"The mountain is part of me. The mountain has positively impacted my personal life. All my promotions in the administration service were as a result of Mountain influence," he said.
He added that people like Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru Kenyatta, John Michuki, Monica Juma and Francis Kimemia were instrumental in his rise from a junior Assistant County Commissioner to resign as Rift Valley regional commissioner in 2022.
"Anyone who believes I should be enemies with any Mountain person on grounds of he/she has differences with that region, is a daydreamer. If you have your issues with say, Mr Gachagua or any other Kenyan, it should not be automatic that your enemies be my enemies," he said.
He said Mt Kenya should reduce the Gachagua impeachment noise.
"My message to the Mountain is that politics is a game laced with deceit and betrayal...it is home to promises to be fulfilled and to be broken. But keep still, there is always a second chance".
