A section of Jubilee leaders have claimed that a top Jubilee governor is funding NASA operations in his home county, even after announcing to support President Uhuru Kenyatta’s reelection.
Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi, who is seeking to unseat Peter Munya in the highly likely to be a tense battle in August polls, is now accusing the incumbent governor of being an operative of the National Super Alliance (NASA) brigade in the area.
Kiraitu is now linking Munya to repeated funding of NASA operation, including organizing rallies for Raila Odinga.
“Wanatembea wakisema kuna NASA Meru. Lakini tumegundua hakuna NASA Meru. NASA ni Munya,” Murungi said, amid an arousing cheer from the crowd.
Loosely translated: “They are walking around claiming that NASA is in Meru. We have realised that NASA is not in Meru. NASA is Munya.”
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In the meantime, the bitter exchange, according to Meru insiders is due to the failure by the leader of Party of National Unity (PNU) – a leading party in Meru - to convene a delegates meeting to endorse President Uhuru Kenyatta for re-election in August polls.
Earlier, Munya had indicated that his party will be supporting President Kenyatta’s reelection.
Over the weekend, President Uhuru was endorsed by over six political parties to defend his presidential seat in the August polls where he will be battling out with NASA’s Raila Odinga.
Kiraitu, who is vying for the Meru gubernatorial seat on a Jubilee Party ticket tied with Uhuru Kenyatta during his endorsement at the Bomas of Kenya, and Munya is now seen as a lone ranger in the race after he failed to show interest in the Uhuru Kenyatta led party.
An Infotrak poll conducted in Meru last month, however, showed that PNU’s Peter Munya is taking a lead with 41 per cent prominence followed by Jubilee’s Kiraitu Murungi who stands at 29 per cent.
In the recent past, NASA co-principal and presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga has been on the mission in the area to drum up support for his election as the president, a move President Uhuru Kenyatta countered by injecting over Sh1 billion for the improvement of miraa farming ion the area.
A huge number of Meru people majorly depend on miraa farming.