President Uhuru Kenyatta. He allegedly snubbed a meeting by Murang'a leaders. [Photo: Al Jazeera]
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday decided not to attend a meeting with Muranga county leaders at Bluepost Hotel in Thika as he headed to the county for campaigns after leaders engaged in heated exchange turning into a shouting match.
The leaders had met to plan on the issues they would address when the President but hell broke loose when Jubilee affiliated MPs and other nominees demanded that their Independent counterparts be ejected from the meeting.
Kiharu MP Irungu Kangata led a section of his supporters demanding that Muranga County senator Kembi Gitura be ejected alongside other independent candidates.
He said the meeting was supposed to be attended by politicians who were only nominated under Jubilee party.
"He must leave. Kembi must leave if he cannot attend our meeting since he decided to defect," Kangata said.
However, Kembi's supporters stayed put insisting that all leaders would attend the meeting as the President represented all Kenyans.
"By virtue of Kembi being the incumbent, he can attend any meeting he so wishes, we cannot also have independent candidates who are also campaigning for President Uhuru being treated as aliens otherwise the President will lose more," Chege Macharia, a former councillor said.
On learning of the exchange the President's motorcade proceeded to Gatunyu, Muranga where the rally was supposed to start forcing the leaders to end the meeting before time and follow the President