A section of MPs allied to the opposition has bashed Deputy President William Ruto over his utterances regarding the ongoing famine.
This comes at a time when a ravaging drought has been reported in 13 out of the 47 counties, but the DP has since dismissed reports that some Kenyans have starved to death.
In a press conference in Nairobi on Thursday, the team led by National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi accused Ruto of misleading the nation by terming the reports as 'fake news'.
“Kenyans are very angry and we are joining them in their anger. But what is most annoying are statements from the DP that people are not dying.
Does he think Kenyans are specimen to be placed in some laboratory so that they can be seen to be dying? This is not fake news, these r real pictures. We have a DP who frequently misjudges public opinion,” he was quoted by the Standard.
Suna East lawmaker Junet Mohammed bashed the government over allegations that it has resorted to firing local administrators who have given the death reports.
He termed it an outdated form of intimidation, urging the state to instead concentrate on salvaging the suffering Kenyans.
“We have heard of junior government officials being punished for revealing the true situation on the ground. This is very unfortunate.
We want to urge people to stop this intimidation and targeted harassment and focus on alleviating the suffering of the people in these regions,” said the lawmaker.
Other members present included Alego Usonga lawmaker Sam Atandi, his Kiminini counterpart Chris Wamalwa and Rangwe MP Lilian Gogo.
Addressing the nation on the same issue earlier in the week, Ruto rubbished claims that 11 Kenyans had succumbed to hunger pangs in Turkana and Baringo counties.