National Assembly Majority Party Whip Silvanus Osoro on Sunday, September 24 clashed with Juja MP George Koimburi over the latter’s remarks that the government was a shareholding business.
Koimburi, who was speaking during a thanksgiving service in Shinyalu, Kakamega County, likened the government to a company where the majority shareholders reap big.
The UDA MP said the government had started rewarding its staunch supporters on the basis of how their regions voted in the last general election.
“Kwa wale wanasema mambo ya madeni serikali ya Ruto imeanza kulipa deni. Serikali hii ya William Samoei Arap Ruto tumesema ni serikali ya shares. Si mmeona ni shares? Tumepea watu kulingana na vile waliweka kura zao kwa debe,” Koimburi stated.
“Na nyinyi watu wa Kakamega nichukue nafasi hii niwashukuru sana kwa sababu mliweka kura zenu kwa William Ruto.”
The remarks, however, didn’t sit well with Osoro, who was quick to correct the lawmaker that President William Ruto’s government will serve Kenyans equally.
The South Mugirango MP noted that it was high time leaders in the Kenya Kwanza government shelved the shareholding chatter and focused on development.
“Nimesikia mheshimwa mwenzangu Koimburi ukizungumza hapa ukisema maneno ya shares. Hii kitu ya shares sasa muache. Wakenya wote tuko ndani ya serikali ya Kenya. Sisi sote tunataka kuhusishwa katika maendeleo.”
“Ule wakati wa honeymoon umeisha. Sherehe imeisha. One year imeisha. Maneno ya kukuja kusimama kama viongozi wa Kenya Kwanza kujipiga kifua na kusema tulishinda wale umeisha. Wananchi wanataka kuona barabara, sitima, umoja, mashule zimejengwa. Wakati huu tuache mambo ya kifua. Mkisimama ambia watu vile tumepanga. Hiyo ndio mambo watu wanata kusikia.”
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has in the recent past been under fire from the opposition over similar sentiments.
In February, Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga accused the DP of dividing the nation along tribal lines over the shareholding remarks.
Raila told off Gachagua saying every Kenyan has a right to get services from the national government regardless of how they voted in the last general election.
