Minister: Leaders wrong to crown Raila Meru elder

By Patrick Muriungi
Meru County
The Supreme Council of Meru Elders (Njuri Ncheke) has been criticised for installing Prime Minister Raila Odinga as an elder during his tour of the region last Saturday.
Assistant Minister Kareke Mbiuki, who sought to explain the absence of Meru MPs during Raila’s tour of Meru and Tharaka Nithi counties, faulted the council leaders for the gesture, saying it was a shame to residents. He also dismissed the PM’s visit as an ODM affair.
"It is a big shame for Njuri Ncheke to crown Raila as a Meru elder. Our elders have become so commercial to the extent of auctioning our community," said the Nithi MP.
He demanded the removal of the council leaders led by the chairman Paul M’Ithinkia and Secretary General Phares Ruteere, arguing they had become a disgrace to the Meru community.
But the elders defended their action, saying it was meant to demonstrate the community stood for national peace and unity and that any national leader was welcome to visit the region.
"The action was genuine. Raila did not offer even a single cent to be crowned an elder. We have done it to President Kibaki before. Let Uhuru, Kalonzo or any other leader come and we shall do the same," said Mr Ruteere.
ODM AFFAIR
The council secretary said the elders’ role was not to decide for the community which national leaders to support but had a responsibility of seeing a united nation.
"We wanted to demonstrate that Mr (Francis) Muthaura, who is one of our respected elders, was never involved in any perceived or real of plans to sabotage Raila’s visit. Mr Muthaura is a credible and seniormost civil servant who can never be involved in that kind of a plot," said Mr Ruteere.
The assistant minister explained that all the Meru MPs kept away from the PM tour because it was an ODM affair.
"We did not want to send the wrong signal to our people that we are in the Raila camp. The visit was an ODM affair," said Mbiuki.
He told the PM to forget the Meru community’s political support and declared the newly launched PNU-Alliance as their political vehicle of choice for 2012.
All the Meru MPs, including the Raila’s perceived political ally and Central Imenti MP Gitobu Imanyara kept off the visit.