Former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo has downplayed Mount Kenya Foundation's endorsement of ODM Leader Raila Odinga to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2022.
Speaking during Citizen TV's JKLive show on Wednesday, December 8, 2021, Kabogo stated that the people of Mount Kenya had not yet made their mind up on their preferred candidate.
He stated that the foundation has every right to endorse who they want, but criticised them for failing to consult with members of the public before making the decision.
File image of former Kiambu Governor William Kabogo. |Photo| Courtesy|
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“They have a right to do what they did. The only issue for me is sometimes when they purport to speak on behalf of the entire Mt. Kenya region without consultation.
“They have votes and they have said where they want their votes to go but as far as Mt. Kenya where I come from is concerned, we are still consulting. We are yet to see what the real people of the mountain want to say but I personally have no problem with the candidature of Raila," Kabogo said.
The former governor opined that the foundation's endorsement may have been influenced by their expectations of the former premier's presidency.
“If you look at them with a close eye you will see that they are businessmen from that region so they probably expect policies that would be reasonable for businessmen,” he said.
Kabogo stated that his Tujibebe Wakenya Party is willing to enter into a coalition with a presidential candidate who will demonstrate a clear political and economic plan for the Mount Kenya region.
“They should not shy away from coming to talk to us probably how they talked to the Mount Kenya Foundation and we may be convinced that that is the way to go but we have to sit down and have a candid discussion on our interests as people of the region and as Kenyans,” he said.
Suna MP Junet Mohamed stated that the foundation's move is eighty as it boasts opinion shapers who can swing the elections in Odinga's favour.
“Leaders, business people and the youth are not people you can write off. Those are people who carry a huge mandate in society. They are opinion shapers, they can shape the opinion of a community to a certain direction and they have proven with time. They endorsed people in previous elections and things went their way,” he said.
“I believe in coalitions and I know we have to put the interest of communities in our discussions. Anybody opposed to coalition building does not mean well for the country,” he added.
