Former Nyeri Town Member of Parliament (MP) Ngunjiri Wambugu has taken a swipe at Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi, accusing him of attempting to dictate how members of the Jubilee Party should conduct themselves.
In a strongly worded statement on Monday, Wambugu reminded Kibagendi that some members of Jubilee, including himself, are among the party’s founding members. He revealed that he was part of the team that drafted former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s speech during the party’s official launch at Kasarani Stadium in 2017.
“People like Kibagendi think they can come and dictate how we behave in Jubilee. Some of us are founder members of the party. I was actually part of the team that wrote Uhuru’s party launch speech in 2017,” Wambugu said.
Kibagendi had taken a swipe at the former Nyeri Town MP, accusing him of being a President Ruto operative in the Jubilee Party.
”Team Matiangi is building bridges,we are creating relationships,we cannot allow elements like Ngunjiri Wambugu to be part of our team. People sent by WSR to destroy the very friendships we are building,” he said.
However, Ngunjiri maintained that Jubilee members cannot be intimidated or expelled from the party simply because of holding dissenting views.
“Here, we don’t buy fear, we don’t get bullied, and we can’t be chased out of the party just because we don’t agree with someone’s position,” he added.
He further challenged Kibagendi to focus on persuading party members to support former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i’s presidential ambitions rather than issuing directives. Wambugu noted that some Jubilee members had previously interacted with Matiang’i during his tenure in government and would seek answers before pledging their support.
“What you should be doing is asking Matiang’i to convince us why we should support him for the presidency. Some of us experienced him closely as oversight MPs when he was Interior Minister. We have questions he will need to answer when he officially seeks our support,” Wambugu stated.
Wambugu emphasized that Jubilee members have the right to hold independent political views without facing retribution.
“We can refuse to support him and still remain in the party; there’s nothing you can do about that,” he said.
He concluded by urging Kibagendi to resign from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party and formally join Jubilee if he wishes to be taken seriously within the party.
“First resign from ODM and come join Jubilee officially if you want us to take you seriously. Otherwise, all that noise you’re making is just child’s play,” Wambugu remarked.
