President William Ruto yesterday accused Azimio la Umoja One Kenya of plotting to revive the outlawed Mungiki sect.
Speaking in Kirinyaga County after officially opening Kerugoya Referral Hospital, President Ruto accused the opposition of planning to use the sect to cause chaos across the country. He said that the government was vigilant and would not allow the revival of the group, which he described as extremely dangerous.
“We will not allow proscribed groups. The opposition is trying to tell us that they want Mungiki back. That they should come and start bhang businesses ... that they should come and collect illegal taxes from citizens, that they should come and harass our women,” said President Ruto. “I want to say to the opposition leaders, please, good people, if you think Mungiki is important, please take your children to Mungiki affairs. Leave the children of the country alone.”
He added: “We know the losses they have caused us. Our youth were tormented by Mungiki and we cannot accept that in this day and age, we have people who want to engage in the illegal taxation of citizens. So those who want to bring this chaos, those who want to bring Mungiki into politics, let them not do it. They should plan on ideologies and compete with us on ideologies.”
But in a rejoinder, Azimio claimed that President Ruto’s remarks were a sign that a crackdown on alleged Mungiki members was imminent in the Mt Kenya region.
“As a party, we would like to urge Kenya Kwanza not to shirk its responsibilities. The young people this government now sees as Mungiki and other types of criminals are the same ones it mobilised as foot soldiers for the now failed promise of economic revival,” Azimio said in a statement yesterday.
In Kirinyaga, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua had set the ball rolling when he lashed out at the opposition, saying they were behind a plot to bring back the dreaded gang.
Mr Gachagua said Mungiki used to rape women, collect illegal levies from matatu operators and oppress farmers in rural areas and their activities should not be allowed anywhere in the country.
He added that the group recently sent shockwaves in the Mt Kenya region when they were seen singing traditional songs outside the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters in Nairobi, demanding the release of Mr Maina Njenga.
President Ruto said he was aware of the plans to bring Mungiki back but promised to ensure it will not happen.
Two weeks ago, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki alleged a plot to revive the banned group in the Mount Kenya region. He accused a group of current and former political leaders of recruiting youths to revive the group and declared all-out war against them.
When Mr Njenga was recently summoned by the police, Azimio leaders came to the defence of the former Mungiki leader, accusing the State of harassing him. In a show of solidarity, the Azimio leaders, led by Martha Karua, accompanied Mr Njenga to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations headquarters for questioning.
"Profiling Mt Kenya youth"
They accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of profiling Mt Kenya youth by linking them to the outlawed group, adding that the move was for political and economic dominance.
Last week, Mr Odinga accused the government of profiling Mt Kenya youth by linking them to Mungiki.
“It is so unfortunate that in this day and age, somebody is trying to use the same tactics and methods that were used by the British to try and isolate the youth of this region. There has been an attempt to artificially recreate and re-establish the Mungiki movement,” Mr Odinga charged.
In its statement yesterday, Azimio said its members will not sit back and watch the Kenya Kwanza regime resort to the extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances that were witnessed in the past. It added that the youth feel left out, frustrated, betrayed, used and abandoned after being promised employment opportunities during the campaigns.
“They are not criminals but victims of a false dawn and broken promises. These young people deserve a deal, not guns and bullets. We call on President Ruto to provide the youth with employment opportunities as well as the training they were promised during the campaigns. Kenya Kwanza must admit failure and restore programmes like Kazi Mtaani that the previous government introduced to help these young Kenyans earn a living,” it said.
Alternatively, the opposition has called on the government to consider cash transfers to the most vulnerable in the current hard times instead of the Hustler Fund programme, which they say is not working.
Touted as a great mobiliser, Mr Njenga is seen in some quarters as a major threat to Mr Gachagua’s efforts to consolidate the Mt Kenya region under the Kenya Kwanza administration at a time when many locals are unhappy with the fight against alcoholism and the prevailing high cost of living.
