Ndaragwa Member of Parliament Jeremiah Kioni has been the latest leader to weigh in on the heating political debts narrative, cautioning leaders against banking on initial agreements for support in the coming 2022 general polls.
Speaking on Radio Citizen's ‘Jungu Kuu’ on Wednesday night, Kioni further warned against a similar approach in the vote-rich Mount Kenya region, stating that such will backfire, specifically on presidential candidates.
He noted that most members of the region, just like the majority of Kenyans, do not like to be compelled and dictated on how to vote, saying that they are most likely to vote in the opposite direction in retaliation.
‘’Watu wa Mlima Kenya hawataki kuambiwa jinsi ya kupiga kura kulingana na madeni ama makubaliano. Atakayejaribu kutumia hiyo misingi huenda akaangushwa (whoever tries to compel Central Kenya voters basing on debts and agreements will most likely lose out),’’ he said.
This follows recent remarks by Deputy President William Ruto, apparently in an attempt to indirectly push a section of the nation to vote for him.
Speaking in Kakamega on Saturday, he demanded the Luhya support for his pending bid, claiming that he facilitated the ascend of Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi to the Deputy Premier post after the conflicted 2007 presidential race.
He is also reported to have a similar agreement with President Uhuru Kenyatta, supposedly arrived at in 2013, indicating that Uhuru is to support him in his 2022 bid in return for his backing of the head of state in 2013 and 2017.