Former Meru governor Peter Munya.[photo/Nation]
Former Meru Governor Peter Munya has taken over the role of promoting regional integration right after an year of being accused of wrecking it.
Mr Munya made a political U-turn during the polls season last year by ditching Jubilee for two days to Nasa before going back and he is now in charge of East African Community, and the Northern Corridor Development, if the National Assembly endorses him.
In July 2016, Mr Munya caused controversy in Somalia when he visited Somaliland a breakaway region yet to be recognized internationally aiming to promote easier regulations on miraa from his county.
During the visit the then Meru governor met with Somaliland Deputy President Abdurrahman Ishmael the Foreign Affairs minister and his Finance counterpart where he offered to lobby for the region’s international recognition in exchange for freer Miraa deals.
The proposal irked Mogadishu, who returned the favour by temporarily banning Miraa exports to those regions, and accusing Munya of meddling in their affairs.
Somalia’s then Ambassador to Kenya Gamal Hassan claimed Munya had caused “political pressure” back home to force the ban.
In the wake of the accusations though, Mr Munya, who became the first governor to survive an election petition loss by appealing up to the Supreme Court, claimed his political enemies were exaggerating.
Kenya exports 540 planeloads of Miraa in a good month, and the crop is usually a political issue among locals in Meru.
Munya will now have to market official Kenyan policy on issues of regional integration.