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Gusii MPs React to Minister Awori's Remarks
- Details
- Published on Wednesday, 18 July 2007 03:27
The legislators said their community exercised its democratic right in the voting exercise and were neither guilty nor had they any regrets over how they voted in the General Election.
Awori was quoted in the press as saying the Narc government would serve all Kenyans "even the Kisii who did not vote for us".
The Minister for Home Affairs and National Heritage made the remarks during a memorial service for Jaramogi Oginga Odinga over the weekend.
Those who signed yesterday's press statement were Jimmy Nuru Angwenyi (Kitutu Chache), Henry Obwocha (West Mugirango), Samson Nyang'au Okioma (Kitutu Masaba), Zebedeo Opore (Bonchari), Dr Hezron Manduku (Nyaribari Masaba), Stephen Manoti (Bobasi) Godfrey Masanya (North Mugirango), James Omingo Magara (South Mugirango) and Joel Onyancha (Bomachoge).
The Ford-People MPs said the remarks by Awori "tend to cause ridicule and besmirch the people of Kisii for exercising their democratic rights".
The legislators also hinted that public servants who hailed from the community were apparently being discriminated against by the new Government and said "public service transcends elections".
On their voting pattern, they said: "The Gusii community exercised their democratic right to vote for whatever party or person they thought to be their best choice in accordance with Section 1(A) of the Constitution of Kenya.
They are, therefore, not guilty nor do they regret the electoral choices they made. Indeed, they are happy with the outcome because, just like Narc and other opposition parties, they stood for and achieved democratic change."
Ford-People, they added, swept all the seats in Gusiiland and achieved the main objective of other opposition parties of removing Kanu from power.
The MPs also said the community contributes in excess of Sh10 billion per year to the exchequer as taxes and were, therefore, entitled to services just like other taxpayers.
They said they deserved and should get development "not as a gift from the Narc Government but as a right".
