Thika Town sub-county residents have expressed their disappointment with their local elected leaders after all of them snubbed the Jamhuri Day celebrations at Thika Stadium on Saturday.
The six leaders namely; Thika Town MP Alice Ng'ang'a and the five MCAs from Township, Hospital, Kamenu, Gatuanyaga and Ngoliba wards all failed to turn up for the national celebrations leaving residents who had hoped to present an array of issues bedeviling them disappointed.
"When our elected representatives at both the county and the national level fail to turn up for such an important national occasion, we are left with so many questions. A day like this one provides an important forum for residents to inform their leaders about their problems and for leaders to respond to them," Ephantus Ngari, the Chairperson of the recently razed Madaraka Market said after the event.
They added that the leaders lack patriotism for snubbing the event while warning them of obvious consequences come 2017 elections.
"I am a mechanic along upper road here in town and we have been having a problem with drainage near our garage. I had come here expecting to meet my MCA and raise the matter with him but he is nowhere. 2017 is coming," said Gabriel Ndung'u.
Thika Town DCC Jeremiah Gicheru also noted that residents who had turned up for the occasion were minimal.
"Today we have witnessed a low turnout and I wish that residents could start taking occasions like this one seriously because it is here that they can gather some important information from the government," Gicheru said.