Meru Governor, Kiraitu Murungi has called out President Uhuru Kenyatta for using Raila Odinga for his political gain at the expense of his health.
In a hard-hitting piece on his COVID-19 journey, Kiraitu said that the patients needed enough time to recover, something that Raila was denied by the President.
“As I read this book, I watched with pity a frail Raila Odinga, who was being treated for a Covid-19 attack, being literally “dragged out of bed” so that he and the President could be seen together opening roads in Nairobi and Kajiado — for political optics, to show Kenyans that the “Handshake deal” between the two was still intact,” Murungi told the Daily Nation.
According to Kiraitu, the act by the two leaders to launch road projects in Nairobi on April 1, was a sign that they prioritized politics and not the health of Raila, who was still recovering from a COVID-19 attack.
“Raila’s health came second. Politics came first. His life had been ‘stolen’ from him. He was living a life of display. He was caught up in the endless winds and storms of politics,” he said.
Using Raila’s example, the former Meru Senator said that many politicians were not living their perfect lives, but rather making impressions and seeking to be approved by others.
“We are too psychologically terrified to think and act independently. I felt sad we have lost our own authenticity and freedom. Even our thoughts and our voices are no-longer truly our own. We live a life of fear and suspense, always worried about what others will think or say about us. We are constantly listening to rumours and scanning the political weather so that we can always be politically correct and always be on the winning side,” added Governor Kiraitu.
The Governor’s agitation came from an incident on April 1, when President Uhuru tagged Raila Odinga alongside with him to inspect the NMS Green Park Bus Terminus project.
The two leaders appeared together in public just after rumors of a collapsing handshake had hit the headlines.
Just before Raila was admitted at the Nairobi Hospital, reports on the collapse of the handshake had filled the air.
Kivumbi.co.ke established that Raila’s team had planned a Mega Rally in Kibra to address the fallout with President Uhuru.
However, Raila did not grace the rally, with reports indicating that he received a phone call from President Uhuru to calm the heat down.
