Duale told Ruto that the money governors’ are asking for “does not belong to your mother”./FILE
A section of Jubilee Coalition MPs have come out in defence of National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale saying he has nothing to apologise for over remarks he made on Monday during the Mara Day celebrations. The legislators who included Kiharu MP Irungu Kangata, Kasarani’s Njoroge Chege and Ijara MP Ahmed Abbas insisted that Duale was right to challenge Bomet County Governor Isaac Ruto to appear before the Senate to shed more light on how money was being spent in his jurisdiction.
“In a nutshell, what Duale was telling Governor Ruto is appear before the Senate, explain yourself, failure to do that, this thing you are trying to do called ‘Pesa Mashinani’ (the Council of Governors push for more funds to the Counties) is simply ‘Pesa Mashimoni’. Governors need to account for themselves failure to which there s no rationale for them agitating for more funds,” Kangata told a news conference held on Thursday.
Bomet Central MP Ronald Tonui called on Ruto to appear before the Senate’s Sessional County Public Accounts and Investments Committee to answer questions raised by the Auditor General on the use of over Sh184 million between March and June last year.
“I want to support the sentiments expressed by Duale because I believe the Governor of Bomet County really met his match and whatever was given to him is the right prescription for his attitude and arrogance,” he stated.
At the Mara Day celebrations, and in the presence of the Deputy President William Ruto, Duale hit out at the Bomet governor who is leading the push for the referendum that he must first account for the money his county has been allocated before demanding for more.
Duale told Ruto that the money governors’ are asking for “does not belong to your mother”. The leaders from different political parties said it is wrong for a leader to utter such statements and provoke a public confrontation.
This comes after Ruto threatened to sue Duale for alleged defamation over the remarks.
The legislators vowed to shoot down a Motion of no confidence planned by a section of opposition MPs who termed Duale’s attack on the Bomet Governor as personal and an affront to not only his mother but also Kenyan women.
“We want to express full confidence in the leadership of Duale and to warn anyone who may want to remove him that they should know that they will face the full wrath of (the Jubilee) coalition in the House,” Kangata asserted.
MPs Chege and Abbas said his remarks were not in any way meant to offend women but rather he was demanding accountability over the usage of public resources.
“Why should Duale’s ‘mama yako’ (your mother) remark being elevated to other levels yet Mzee Moi (Kenya’s second President) used to say that over 24 years, Kibaki said it too…Duale is merely following in those footsteps,” Abbas said.
Tonui added: “Duale does not owe anyone from Bomet Central an apology over what he said in Narok, because we agree with all that he said.”
