Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa has blamed Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for the invasion of parliament by Gen Z protesters on July 25, 2024.
Speaking in Bungoma County on Saturday, July 27, 2024, Barasa remarked that Gachagua’s continued talks of shares in the government had infuriated the youth, leading to the breach at parliament that saw several protesters killed and others wounded.
“Maneno ya kuweka nchi kwa shares na kuleta ukabila, kwamba hii ndio sehemu iko na watu wengi ndio ipate maendeleo mengi, maneno kama hayo ndio ilifanya vijana wa Gen Z wakapandwa na mori wakakuja hadi kututafuta katika bunge la kitaifa,” Barasa said.
Loosely translates to:
“The talks about shares (by DP Gachagua and inflammatory remarks about the one man, one shilling one vote which proposes that development should follow population are what infuriated the Gen Zs to storm parliament looking for us.”
During the public address attended by the National Assembly speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Barasa also pointed fingers at Nyeri governor Mutahi Kahiga, saying he was becoming the mouthpiece of Gachagua in advancing what he called divisive remarks.
Barasa, who was elected on a UDA party ticket blamed Gachagua, adding to his woes of uniting the party’s elected leaders and the Mount Kenya region leaders.
Barasa on ODM CS nominees
Barasa hailed Ruto for working with the opposition party politicians, stating that it was time for the Kenya Kwanza government to observe how ODM chairman John Mbadi would raise revenue without increasing taxes.
The opposition coalition party voted against the controversial Finance Bill 2024 on June 25, 2024, with the party leadership urging the government to seek alternative ways of generating revenue.
The protests that followed led to the deaths of at least 60 people across the country according to human rights bodies.
Key leaders in the UDA party have openly defied Gachagua in his calls for the one man, one shilling one vote agenda, calling the proposition divisive.
Lately, political analysts note that Gachagua is increasingly being alienated from the government after President William Ruto reached an agreement to work with key leaders of the opposition party ODM.
Ruto nominated leader of Minority Opiyo Wandayi as CS Energy and Petroleum, Hassan Joho as CS Mining, ODM chairman John Mbadi CS Treasury and National Planning and Wycliffe Oparanya CS Cooperatives.
This comes barely two years after Gachagua told Ruto to leave the ODM party leader to him, fearing that he could initiate an arrangement to get into the Kenya Kwanza administration.
