By Salim Mutuma
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s last Monday’s planned tour of Isiolo county was suspended over reports of planned protests, sources have revealed.
The Head of State was scheduled to launch tele-medicine technology at Isiolo County Referral Hospital and inspect some of the projects being undertaken by his adminstration.
The last minute postponement is said to have been prompted by the protests that were witnessed when ODM Leader Raila Odinga toured the region last week.
Host Governor Mohammed Kuti was booed and forced to cut short his speech after heckling groups demanded that he hands over the microphone to his predecessor Godana Doyo who will be seeking a comeback in 2022 general elections.
And though the protesting groups did not heckle at Mr Odinga, security agencies reportedly feared that similar incident could have happened during the Head of State’s visit which was to take place two days later.
A section of the youths after the October 17 incident, threatened to embarass Governor Kuti in event the President visited which sources said could have also contributed to the suspension.
But why?
Obviously, the local leaders, Governor Kuti included, would not have wanted the ugly incident to recur especially before the President.
And though Senior government officers remained mum over what prompted the postponement, some said, it was to allow the Head of State adequate time to prepare for Mashujaa Day national celebrations which will be held in Kirinyaga.
“Would you have allowed the President to come and see some of the local leaders being ashamed?” one of the local elected leaders posed.
A disconnect between the local elected leaders and aspirants is also reported to have contributed to the suspension of the visit.
The differences which played out at Isiolo International Airport while the leaders waited for Mr Odinga to land could have also played out during the President’s visit.
In a video circulating online, the leaders who included Senator Fatuma Dullo, Governor Kuti, ex-Governor Doyo, former EACC boss Halakhe Waqo, Eldas MP Adan Keynan and his Isiolo South counterpart Abdi Koropu and Nominated Senator Abshiro Halakhe are seen arguing over the program for the day.
One of the factions led by Mr Waqo was claiming that the other group had hijacked the event and left out some of the leaders who should have ideally been involved all through to the end.
There is a possibility that some of the youths who heckled at Dr Kuti had been paid by some of the disgruntled leaders who are heard complaining in the video.
