A section of Kenyan leaders have criticized an order by the government that barred chiefs and their assistants from attending an economic development exercise. The directive was issued by the Machakos County commissioner, Geoffrey Omoding after he learnt that Raila would be attending the function in which the chiefs and their assistants were to be handed motorbikes to help with their administrative duties.
The motorbikes, funded by the Kathiani CDF Kitty, were to be handed over through an initiative by the area MP Robert Mbui. The schedule of the ceremony however, changed at the last minute after the area County Commissioner directed the chiefs and their assistants to keep off the function. He also demanded that the MP relocate the ceremony from the sub-county offices.
The move surprised the MP who had to change the venue to a nearby public field.
Upon arrival in the company of Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama and Saiya Senator James Orengo Raila condemned the order and called it foolish.
“The DC and I serve the same people and it is foolish for him to command his chiefs to keep off this function just because he heard that I was coming”, he said.
“We have two levels of government which are the County Government and the National Government. The County Government of Machakos is a Cord Government thus the DC and his officers must work under it”, he added.
Raila also said that the time for politicking was long gone and that it was time for all to unite and work in the common mwananchi's interest.
“Development is development regardless of who comes with it. We should not divide Kenyans through political alignments," he said.
“This is a show that the Government is scared of people learning the truth”, Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama said of the order adding that Kenyans have the right to be served with equity and that Cord will continue to fight for the rights of Kenyans and will not relent in the push for the referendum.
He said that the chiefs had the democratic right to police facilitation in order to do their jobs effectively. Area MP Mbui said that he would not be cowered by any form of intimidation while serving his electorate.
“I will serve everybody with equity and will work with the Cord leadership to support the referendum push because it is for mwananchi's benefit”,he said.
The MP opted to hand the motorbikes over to senior village elders who had showed up at the meeting for custody on behalf of the chiefs and their assistants.
Speaking to the media in his office after the ceremony, Omoding denied that he had been "fully" consulted over the function.
Omoding also said that the motorbikes will be handed over to the chiefs after they are trained and given driving licenses.
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