Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has attributed the entry of the Raila Odinga-led opposition into government to power struggles within Mount Kenya region.
Mr Kuria claims that internal conflicts and political miscalculations, particularly by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua , resulted in Mt Kenya region being shortchanged, allowing “other people” to land plum Cabinet posts.
He spoke on Wednesday in Subukia, Nakuru County during the funeral of veteran radio host Prof Ngugi Njoroge.
Mr Kuria pointed an accusing finger at Mr Gachagua for allegedly failing to provide leadership in the region asserting that prior to the cabinet reshuffle, the DP focused on undermining junior leaders from Mount Kenya instead of uniting the region.
"Raila Odinga's people ended up in Ruto's new cabinet as a result of political miscalculations and unnecessary infighting amongst us from the Mount Kenya region. We shot ourselves in the foot," stated Mr Kuria.
He went on:" Before President William Ruto reshuffled the cabinet, Deputy President Gachagua openly criticised and attacked cabinet secretaries from the Mount Kenya region and that is how we ended up out of government," explained Kuria.
According to the former CS, Mt Kenya got a raw deal after the cabinet reshuffle.
"I am now a jobless person... When the reshuffle happened recently, we saw others bringing in their superstars like Hassan Joho, Wycliffe Oparanya, and John Mbadi. But those from our region were replaced with individuals whose credentials are unclear. Even when you visit the encyclopedia you cannot find them there," he lamented.
He added that Mt Kenya’s political misfortunes were compounded by their failure to unite and form one regional political party.
"I tried to convince them, including DP Gachagua, that we should have our own political party, but they did not listen to me. Now we have found ourselves in a ditch. l usually tell people that you cannot got to a wedding in the groom's car because at any point, the groom may demand the key back and you may have to walk home," he explained.
He recalled a political show by the late Prof Njoroge who worked for the Royal Media Services, saying he had predicted the current situation in Mount Kenya.
"I listened to one of his shows, and he warned us: 'Mtakulana, Mtakulana mpaka mtaisha.' What Prof. Ngugi said has come to pass. We are now out of government. For the two years we have been in government, the only award we can be given is for fighting each other," he posed.
But despite his criticisms on DP Gachagua, Mr Kuria dismissed the alleged plan to impeach him assuring mourners that he would never support such a move.
"I will not accept any plans to impeach Gachagua as long as I am alive. We have learned our lesson so far. For now, I have no problem with those who wronged me, including the deputy president. We cannot pay a bad deed with a worse one; I have released him on a free bond," he stated.
Mr Kuria was among 11 cabinet secretaries sacked by President William Ruto last month as he formed a broad-based government.
Others dismissed were Prof. Njuguna Ndung’u (National Treasury and Economic Planning), Ababu Namwamba (Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports), Florence Bore (Labour and Social Protection), Simon Chelugui (Ministry of Co-operatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Development), Aisha Jumwa (Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage).
Suffering a similar fate were Susan Nakhumicha (Ministry of Health), Ezekiel Machogu (Education), Mithika Linturi (Agriculture and Livestock Development), Eliud Owalo (Information, Communication and the Digital Economy), and Peninah Malonza (East African Community, Arid and Semi-Arid Lands, and Regional Development).
