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MP Accused As a 'Gema Errand Boy'
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 22 July 2007 22:43
They want Mr Nyachae to resign his Nyaribari Chache seat and seek a fresh mandate to prove he has the grassroots support he claims.
Their attack on their former colleague follows Mr Nyachae's own criticism of President Moi, which they described as "blatantly arrogant, slanderous and seditious with obvious subversive intent."
Mr Nyachae told a weekend news conference he had fallen out with President Moi, accusing the President of buying political support and of engaging in dirty politics.
He also accused President Moi of condoning graft by refusing to discipline close allies allegedly involved in corruption.
Yesterday's rejoiner was spearheaded by Cabinet Ministers Chris Obure and Sam Ongeri plus 13 senior party officials from the three Kisii districts and came at a news conference called at Parliament Buildings, Nairobi.
The harsh statement was read by Prof Ongeri, who said Mr Nyachae was a "frustrated and political fraudster" who had specialised lately in starting storms that would take him nowhere.
"It is clear that his egotism and intransigency has driven him to the brink of political disaster," he said.
His failure to step down after announcing his allegiance to a new party, Ford-People, showed he had committed political fraud on the electorate, who had mandated him to represent them in Parliament on a Kanu ticket.
They added that they saw Mr Nyachae as a representative of the Central Kenya Parliamentary Group.
"The former minister is a political errand boy of a powerful cartel comprising Gema chauvinists," said Prof Ongeri.
Mr Nyachae, he said, was in his political twilight, had lost direction and was being buoyed by an assumption that he commanded unrivalled support in Kisiiland.
"Kanu carried the day in Kisii in the 1992 and 1997 general elections, and will do it again come next year. There is no vacuum," he said.
Kisii people, he added, had no time for political tourism and the uncertainty to which Mr Nyachae wanted to subject them.
While addressing the first joint Kanu-National Development Party delegates conference on Friday, President Moi had in turn accused Mr Nyachae of having bought the Ford-People party on which he expected to launch his presidential bid.
The President challenged him to leave Kanu and seek a fresh mandate on another party ticket.
Mr Nyachae then said he would not resign and would serve his full term in the House.
The Kisii leaders yesterday accused him of lacking principle and playing to momentary instincts of euphoria by launching disparaging salvos at the President.
Mr Nyachae, they claimed, had no moral authority to accuse President Moi of doing nothing to end corruption, claiming that in 1998 Kenya Anti-Corruption Authority (KACA) director John Haroun Mwau arrested the MP's friends in corruption-related cases and an incensed Mr Nyachae, they claimed, had then orchestrated Mr Mwau's dismissal. They added that Mr Nyachae could not accuse the President of commercial politics when it was evident that he had bought Ford People.
"Even his octogenarian mother, who happens to be his political mentor and advisor, has defected to the party," they said.
It was not true that Mr Nyachae's resignation from government (he was Finance Minister) was motivated by political principles and differences in opinion.
They claimed he had erroneously seen his position as a direct route to State House, by first expecting to be made vice-president.
"He developed a bellicose and belligerent attitude towards the Establishment when he was moved to the Ministry of Industrial Development: his ambitions were dashed and the State House route curtailed," they said.
In another development, Mr Nyachae and Democratic Party leader Mwai Kibaki were defended from claims that they were too old to succeed President Moi.
South Mugirango MP James Magara (Ford-K), termed the age issue as mischievous and irrelevant.
He disagreed with Cabinet Minister Julius Sunkuli whom he said "seems to be scared of Nyachae's bid for the Presidency and was using age to prepare Kenyans for another Moi term."
"If Sunkuli feels he is fit for the Presidency he should declare his interest and leave Nyachae alone for Kenyans to determined his Presidential fate," said Mr Magara.
Mr Sunkuli, a Minister of State in the Office of the President has been in the forefront in dismissing Mr Nyachae's Presidential candidature, saying he and Mr Kibaki were almost President Moi's age-mates, who should not be allowed to succeed the Head of State.
Mr Magara was talking to the Press in Rongo Town in support of Mr Nyachae's recent outspoken attacks.
Meanwhile, Ford People officials from Kisii defended Mr Nyachae, arguing the entire community was behind him.
A statement faxed to the Nation was signed by six officials including a former assistant minister, Mr Reuben Oyondi, who is currently the national vice-chairman.
Other reports indicated that Ford People is due to hold a national delegates' conference in October to choose a Presidential candidate.
