West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo and Kapenguria member of Parliament Samuel Moroto have blasted the Third Alliance party leader Dr. Ekuru Aukot for pushing the Punguza Mizigo initiative, aimed at constitutional changes. Last week, IEBC confirmed that Ekuru Aukot-led team had managed to collect over 1 million signatures, paving way for major constitutional changes.
Speaking at Tartar girls high school during a prize-giving day, the leaders opposed the move terming it as a joke of the year. Governor Lonyangapuo said Aukot has nothing to offer Kenyans. He said Aukot is eyeing the Turkana County gubernatorial seat in 2022 and is using the referendum to push his bid, “We know what he is after and he should not cheat Kenyans,” said Lonyangapuo.
He asked the Thirdway Alliance leader to concentrate on helping his people in Turkana who are faced with hunger instead of engaging in politics. “We have seen Dr. Aukot moving with papers and he has forgotten where Lodwar is. His people are suffering from hunger and he doesn’t want to collaborate with other County leaders like Turkana County Governor Josephat Nanok,” he said. He vowed to mobilize Kenyans to reject the referendum.
Kapenguria MP Samuel Moroto opposed the initiative calling on Dr. Aukot to go slow. He strongly opposed reducing wards and constituencies, saying that is not possible now. “Kenyans are used to the current constitution. Money will increase but corruption is will still be rampant,” he said.
He wondered why Mr. Aukot was pushing the initiative yet he played a key role in the bringing in the current constitution. “What new thing does he want to introduce that he didn’t think of?” he posed, “You can’t just get up and start doing things.”