National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has said no amount of intimidation will coarse Kenyans in the August 9 election.
Speaking on Saturday when he joined the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, Muturi said there were plans to force him support a certain political outfit, which he declined. He used the popular phrase, which the National Cohesion and Integration Commission has banned saying it is inciting, sipangwingwi.
“Hata mini sipangwingwi. Hio nilikataa. Wale walifikiri wanaweza kunipanga mimi, poleni. Miaka yangu haikubali nipangwe na mtu yeyote …
“Nobody should deceive themselves by whatever imagination, by whatever design, they are going to coerce and intimidate Kenyans from the path of self-actualization, which I dare say, will be realised on August 9,” Muturi said.
The Speaker added that he has traversed the country and has seen that Kenyans’ hearts are with Kenya Kwanza and its agenda.
Muturi recalled that last year, he had a huge bill board in Muthaiga, Nairobi, with the inscription of Kenya Kwanza.
“That shows that all along, we were of the same mind. My brothers took the more secret route of registering and I took Kenya Kwanza, I took the route of announcing to Kenyans but you see, all is well that ends well. We are all Kenya Kwanza, where we believe in that,” Muturi said.
In January this year, he accused Deputy President William Ruto of stealing the phrase ‘Kenya Kwanza’.
Speaking in Nyamira county during his countrywide visits, Speaker Muturi said he had a billboard on Thika Superhighway near Muthaiga with the phrase ‘Kenya Kwanza’.
“If you happened to use Thika road 3 months ago, you saw my billboard with a signature phrase ‘Kenya Kwanza’. Hii Kenya watu wamekuwa waporaji wanapora hadi signature phrase. Sasa nimeamua Wakenya mbele. Hii nayo msiniibie,” he said.
He pointed at changing his phrase to ‘Wakenya Mbele’ hoping that it will not be stolen.
DP Ruto said Muturi’s joining Kenya Kwanza with his Democratic Party was a culmination of months of negotiations.
“I am happy that we are joined by the Democratic Party, which has history in Kenya. It was started and led by Kenya’s finest economist , Hon Mwai Kibaki, who this country remembers with a lot of nostalgia for his contribution in the leadership, governance and advancement of the republic of Kenya,” Ruto said.
With Muturi’s move. it means the top leadership in the country – the Deputy President, the Speakers of the Senate and National Assembly – are now in Kenya Kwanza, an opposite camp from President Uhuru Kenyatta, who has backed former oppositional leader Raila Odinga for the presidency.
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