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Residents of Kinangop in Nyandarua county have expressed doubts regarding efforts by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua (pictured) to unite Mt Kenya people after local MPs kept off his tour of the area on Sunday.

 Only the senator John Methu, Governor Moses Kiarie Badilisha and a host of MCAs accompanied the DP during the church service at Karoroha Catholic Church.

 MPs Faith Gitau (Woman Representative), David Kiaraho (Ol Kalou), George Gachagua (Ndaragwa), Michael Muchira (Ol Jororok), Kwenya Thuku (Kinangop) and Wanjiku Muhia (Kipipiri) were conspicuously absent during the DP’s visit.  Non-local leaders who accompanied the DP were Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara and Senator Karungo Wa Thang’wa (Kiambu).

 After the Church service, the DP addressed a big crowd in Engineer town and launched a scathing attack on the Nyandarua Woman Rep for “sitting where plans to fight us are being hatched.”

 “Let me warn her and others who sit where the plans to fight us are being drawn that they should listen to what the ground is saying,” said the DP.

 The attack on Gitau angered locals led by former leader of majority at the Nyandarua County assembly Edinald King’ori who warned Gachagua that attacking other leaders will be counterproductive in his bid to unite Mt Kenya region.

Leadership mantle

 “For him to unite the people of Mt Kenya, he has to reach out to both friends and foes including Uhuru Kenyatta who still holds the Mt Kenya community leadership mantle,” King’ori who spoke to the media after the DP’s visit said.

 King’ori said majority of residents felt that the numerous visit to Nyandarua by President William Ruto and his Deputy in the last two years does not reflect on the economic and infrastructure development of the County.

 “It seems these visits are meant to use Nyandarua people as political pawns,” he said.

  Similar stance was expressed by a youth leader in North Kinangop ward, Paul Kinyagia who said, during one of the visits, the President promised that a road connecting Nyandarua to Nyeri will be completed in 10 months but “instead the contractor left site as soon as the head of state left.”

 Cautioning local elected leaders not to allow themselves to be divided, Kinyagia hit at the DP for attacking the County Woman Rep whom he said is the Nyandarua peoples’ link to the President.

Local leaders

 A business woman in Engineer town, Wanjiru Macharia, who is also the UDA party coordinator in Engineer Ward cautioned the DP that his attacks on local leaders whenever he visits Nyandarua was not auguring well with the people.

 She reminded the DP that Gitau has stood with the UDA party in Nyandarua through thick and thin “when no one else could dare”. She said attacking the Woman Rep only causes more division among the Mt Kenya people.