The several press briefings held on Thursday to hit out at Deputy President William Ruto’s allies who accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of neglecting his supporters were not by default.
A source at state house told the Standard that after considering how those targeted by the President’s Washenzi remarks turned it around and made it look like the head of state was insulting his supporters, there was a need to ‘fight back’.
Apparently, President Uhuru was referring to a number of MPs who had been on his neck accusing him of going to bed with the ‘enemy’ and forgetting those who stood with him in the hotly contested 2017 presidential race.
Among those who went bare-knuckle at the President in daring defiance is Gatundu MP Moses Kuria and Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri.
After Uhuru made the washenzi remark on Mombasa, Jubilee supporters were angry and have been pouring at his social media accounts to vent their anger.
“As such, state house decided to fight back, and that is how the Thursday press conferences were coordinated,” the source said.
The first press conference was by Mt Kenya bigwigs Peter Kenneth and Martha Karua accompanied by a host of several other leaders including anti-Ruto MP Maina Kamanda.
“We demand respect for the President as head of government, head of state and symbol of national unity. Individuals with divergent views must criticise or correct the President with decorum,” Peter Kenneth said.
After this group was through with their address, journalists had to run to the Jubilee party headquarters at Parklands where secretary general Raphael Tuju was having a briefing.
“We are not surprised to witness a lot of hangover of the ethnic-based political talk. However, President Uhuru is very clear, consistent and focused on the vision and mission of Jubilee to take the first bold step away from ethnically based politics,” said Tuju.