By Mashariki Correspondent
Some of Meru County’s leading political lights have coalesced, with an eye on the 2022 general election.
Importantly, the new political unity has brought together former Governor Peter Munya (now Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary) Senator Mithika Linturi, East Africa Legislative Council MP Mpuru Aburi and some other notable politicians.
By coming together and announcing that they would work together to ensure Meru goes to the 2022 poll as a united force, Munya, Linturi and Mpuru took many by surprise, having been in opposing camps in the 2017 polls.
Senator Linturi and Mpuru, then the Tigania East MP had teamed up with Governor Kiraitu Murungi when he ran for the governor’s position.
Speaking in Meru, recently, the three leaders said they would forge ahead as one, politically, to advance the interests of Meru in 2022.
All of them pointedly told off Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri who with others had called for a Limuru conference to map the way forward for the Mt Kenya region, as the battle for President Uhuru Kenyatta successor gains momentum.
Munya, Linturi and Mpuru poured cold water on the call for a conference in Limuru, Kiambu, where for ages major political declarations had been done.
The Meru leaders said time had come for them to work together for the sake of safeguarding theCounty’s political and other interests at the national level and announced they were not for the Limuru conference.
Mpuru, one of Munya’s fiercest critics for long, said time had come for Meru people to say ‘enough is enough’ and for people to stop disrespecting Munya.
He said as leaders they were fully behind Munya.He told off Kiraitu, claiming they had supported the governor in the election but residents had not seen development.
Mpuru said Munya had done well to distribute projects across the entire county, unlike the current administration.
He said residents in the entire county were ‘crying’ for lack of development. To applause Mpuru told Munya he was sorry, for campaigning against him in 2017.
The senator said residents should support Party of National Unity, Munya’s political vehicle.
“PNU was our party here, it was Munya’s. Let us support it. We oppose the idea of being used again,” Linturi said.
Linturi said he and Munya had decided to work together to protect the interests of Meru going forward.
He said residents had begun asking questions regarding use of county government resources.
At the national level, Linturi said, Munya was playing a role of safeguarding residents’ interests.
“When you are with Uhuru, the cabinet and other national leaders take responsibility of being our eyes,” he said, assuring Munya they would work together for the sake of the county.
He said they would continue to question use of resources the county was receiving from the national government. The CS said in the spirit of the handshake he, Mpuru and Linturi had united.
“We are together and in the coming politics we will be together,” Munya announced.
Munya said resources belonged to residents, not an individual.
He said county jobs must be distributed in accordance with the law and fairly.
But on the other hand Mugambi Imanyara who ran for senate on a PNU ticket and was Munya’s right hand man in 2017 has moved in the opposite direction and trooped to Kiraitu’s side.
Speaking recently Mr Imanyara praised Kiraitu for the development projects in the county.
He said he will be with Kiraitu going forward.The lawyer in remarks viewed as directed to Linturi and Mpuru said leaders should give Kiraitu opportunity to concentrate on development instead of distracting him.
Kiraitu said he wanted to partner with area leaders for the sake of development, but he also seemed to throw a barb at his detractors.
