Law scholar Makau Mutua has come out in defense of Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, dismissing criticism directed at the lawmaker as ill-motivated and rooted in jealousy.
In a statement on Tuesday, January 6, Mutua portrayed Junet as one of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s most loyal and trusted aides, arguing that his critics lack both moral standing and political credibility.
"Those fighting Junet Mohamed were dying to do so out of petty and juvenile jealousies when Baba was alive, but couldn’t, because he was only one of two or three of Mzee’s most trusted aides and confidantes.
"Unlike them, Junet never betrayed Baba or stabbed him in the back. Baba trusted him innately. He was loyal to a fault," he said.
Mutua went on to laud Junet's integrity, intellect, and strategic ability, while dismissing stories targeting his family as malicious and politically futile.
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"I am proud to call Junet my friend and comrade. He’s one of the most honorable Kenyans you will ever meet. He’s a brilliant political strategist. I don’t know many politicians who can hold a candle to him. His future in Kenya’s politics is stellar, and his star will only continue to shine even more brightly.
"His opponents and enemies need to chill and let him serve Kenyans. Sponsoring silly tabloid stories about the son of Mohamed is a doomed mission," he added.
Notably, this comes a day after a war of words erupted after Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna accused Junet of misappropriating funds meant to pay election agents during the 2022 General Election.
Speaking on Saturday, January 3, Sifuna accused Junet of suddenly condemning former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s money despite having benefited from them during the election period.
He argued that most of ODM’s campaign financing came from the former president.
"Others freely benefited from Uhuru Kenyatta’s money and as Secretary General, I know this well. A large portion of the funds we used for the campaign came from Uhuru. But now, one reckless person has suddenly decided that Uhuru’s money is somehow wrong," he said.
Sifuna blamed Junet for allegedly pocketing funds meant for agents, claiming this failure enabled the current administration to defeat ODM.
"Let me ask you, Junet, on what day did Uhuru’s money become bad? Was it the day you were taking that money and not even bringing it to the party? When you were pocketing Uhuru’s money instead of paying agents, allowing the current administration to defeat us, and now we are crying outside government? If it were not for you, Junet, we would be in government today. You cannot intimidate me," he added.
In response, Junet issued a statement dismissing the accusations and described Sifuna as acting on behalf of Uhuru within ODM.
Junet stated that the funds meant for election agents were not given to him or the party structures but were instead released by Uhuru to his brother, Muhoho Kenyatta a, who then appointed another individual to manage recruitment and payments.
"The answer is simple, clear and verifiable: Former President Uhuru Kenyatta released the funds meant for election agents to his blood brother, Muhoho Kenyatta. Muhoho Kenyatta then appointed one Mr. Peter Mburu to take charge of the recruitment and payment of agents," he claimed.
Junet also described how the handling of agents’ logistics was centralized in a highly restricted office, allegedly beyond the reach of most party leaders, including yhe late Raila Odinga.
He said the office was where decisions on agents’ payments and logistics were supposedly made.
"Around the time, Muhoho Kenyatta operated from an office in Westlands that was so restricted that even Raila Odinga, the party’s presidential candidate, could not access it freely.
"It is from this office — out of bounds for nearly all of us — that they claimed to handle the agents payments and other logistics. These are facts, not conjecture. I challenge Uhuru Kenyatta and Muhoho Kenyatta to publicly deny these facts," he explained.
Junet went on to allege that despite taking control of the process, no agents were actually deployed for Raila in key regions.
"The fact is once they took charge, they never procured any agents for Hon. Raila Odinga, not in Mt. Kenya and not in Luo Nyanza. It was a long con game," he stated.
Junet called on all those named in the controversy, including Sifuna, to publicly account for their roles so Kenyans can judge who is responsible for ODM’s 2022 defeat.
