Senior politicians yesterday clashed over the supposed barring of some local leaders from meeting President Uhuru Kenyatta at the Kakamega State Lodge on Friday evening, a day before the ceremony.
The abrupt cancellation of a planned meeting between President Kenyatta and regional leaders is being linked to political jostling and intrigues between Opposition leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto.
“The politics of the handshake was probably playing out. Claims that there were plans to heckle some leaders on Mashujaa Day could have also led to a change of heart by the Head of State, prompting him to meet only particular leaders,” said a source who attended the State Lodge meeting.
On Sunday, Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya told the Nation that the President had wanted to meet only the five governors from the region, “hence those bickering about being barred should stop it”.
The governors are Mr Oparanya (Kakamega), Sospeter Ojaamong’ (Busia), Wycliffe Wang’amati (Bungoma), Wilber Ottichilo (Vihiga) and Patrick Khaemba (Trans-Nzoia). The other leaders who met the President included Mr Francis Atwoli, and senators Busia Amos Wako (Busia) and Cleophas Malala (Kakamega)
“They should not blame anybody. If the President says he wants to see so and so, who am I to compel him to meet other people?? After all, he could not meet everybody, that is why he chose to meet their representatives — the governors,” Mr Oparanya said.
Some of the leaders have also publicly criticised the Mashujaa Day programme, saying top leaders from the region should have been allowed to speak.
Some leaders were especially irked that Mr Mudavadi and Mr Wetang’ula were not allowed to address the gathering.
Mr Mudavadi, through his press secretary, Mr Kibisu Kabatesi, claimed that the event was “stage-managed to lock out local leaders”.
“There is no use devolving national holidays if the purpose is to lock out and embarrass local leaders. It should be hosted in Nairobi if there is no local content,” Mr Kabatesi said.
Former Kakamega Senator Dr Boni Khalwale, who termed as fake news reports that some leaders had organised to have Mr Odinga heckled during the celebrations, said it was wrong to allow the ODM leader to speak while denying senior local leaders an opportunity to do so.
“It was a national event, that we know. However, a precedence was set when Kalonzo Musyoka was allowed to speak during the 2016 Mashujaa Day celebrations in Machakos. Why didn’t that happen in Kakamega” he asked.
“If we are not Western region leaders, then Raila is definitely not. A neighbour cannot speak for the owner of the home. The President invited regional leaders and Raila was not one of them. So how did he get a chance to speak at the expense of those invited to represent the locals,” asked Dr Khalwale.
During the event, only host Governor Oparanya and Mr Odinga were allowed to speak, with Mr Mudavadi, his Ford Kenya counterpart Moses Wetang’ula, and Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka only having their presence recognised.
Earlier in the day, Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli had, during a funeral in Homa Bay County attended by Mr Odinga, asked the opposition leader to ignore the threats of heckling at the Mashujaa Day fete.