By W, KNA
Nyeri Town legislator, Duncan Mathenge and his Ndia counterpart, George Kariuki, have vowed to lobby the National Treasury to set aside funds in the 2026/2027 budget to cater for stipends for village elders.
While acknowledging their contribution in grassroots governance and conflict resolution, the two leaders affirmed that it is unfair that the elders work for their communities without any form of remuneration or reward, a situation which affects their morale and effectiveness.
They, however, noted that deliberations were on to fast-track the establishment of a kitty to cater for their stipends in the next budget.
“Deliberations are not complete but it is absolutely evident that village elders do quite a lot for the community. We have agreed that they will continue to offer the free services they have been offering to the community. We have also committed to lobby for a stipend for them in the next budget so that they are captured in the national budget,” said Mathenge.
The two MPs spoke in Nyeri on Wednesday during a grassroots leaders’ engagement meeting that brought together Nyumba Kumi elders, leaders from different business sectors, women groups and other welfare groups from 23 locations in the constituency.
They urged residents of the Mount Kenya region to set aside their political differences and rally behind Dr William Ruto’s administration. They also urged the region to steer clear of the premature discussions about the 2027 elections, arguing that the current administration still has two years to deliver on its manifesto.
“The conversations about who becomes the next president will happen. In the meantime, we have two years that can change a lot in this country. As leaders from this region, we have chosen to remain focused and we are asking our people not be distracted or sayed to abandon things that will benefit them,”said Nyeri town MP
Mathenge reminded the residents that since they overwhelmingly voted in the current administration, it was only logical for them to continue supporting the government. Mathenge warned that by choosing to join the opposition, the region risked losing out on key development projects.
“The thrust of our conversation is that none other than the former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua did the arithmetic for us that we contributed 47 per cent of the votes that put this government in office. As a result, we have a legitimate share of our development that this government owes us,” stated Mathenge.
“We belong to the group of leaders that hold the school of thought that we will pursue the rightful development that we can be able to attain under the leadership of President William Ruto and the current government until decision time in 2027,” he added.
The Ndia legislator on his part called out the former DP for propagating tribal and divisive politics in the region. He said that the sustained political conflict was negatively impacting the development agenda.
Kariuki decried the growing culture of disrespecting elected leaders and challenged Rigathi Gachagua to emulate the late President Mwai Kibaki and President William Ruto’s approach of unifying the country.
“Respect is a two-way traffic. The former deputy president has formed a habit of provoking and fighting other leaders especially the elected leaders. Recently we have seen he has extended that fight to women and youth. We do not see any leadership in a person who is always engaged in negative politics and unnecessary fights,” said Kariuki.
“Rigathi Gachagua, if you really want to lead the Mt Kenya region, which I doubt we will allow you, you will need to rethink your strategy. That strategy of always fighting other people, will not work and has never worked anywhere,” he added.
