National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, stated that the Mt Kenya region still has leaders who possess the wherewithal to lead the country upon Uhuru’s retirement.

Muturi, who has his guns trained on the presidency, chided presidential hopefuls who frequent the region for writing off the chances of the vote-rich region of producing Uhuru’s successor.

He further claims that the candidates behave as though the running mate position is a preserve of the region. Muturi debunked recent remarks within the political class that suggest that the region should now accept to play second fiddle, having held the top seat for decades.

“Mt Kenya region has leaders who qualify to lead this country. Those saying that they’re looking for a running mate from the mountain should know we can produce the president, and they deputize as well,” he said.

The Speaker also averred that the mountain will henceforth not beg any candidate to accommodate them in his/her coalition.

“We’re not going to beg anyone to accommodate us,” he added.

Muturi’s remarks come amid a jostle by the front-runners in the Uhuru succession politics to identify a running mate from the vote-rich region. Given their huge population, political observers opine that top contenders are compelled to select a deputy from the mountain so as to bolster their chances of bagging the presidency.