By Andrew Mbuva
The Chairman of the Job Tuta Foundation, Job Tuta, has strongly condemned the chaotic scenes witnessed in Nunguni on Monday, where Kaiti MP Joshua Kimilu and Principal Secretary for the State Department of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Terresia Mbaika, were embroiled in a public political confrontation.
The tension erupted during a government function where PS Mbaika was officiating the launch of a last-mile electricity connectivity project. She was accompanied by PS Alex Kamau Wachira (Energy) and PS Eng. Festus Ng’eno (Environment and Climate Change).
However, the development agenda took a sharp political turn when MP Kimilu stormed the event alongside a group of unruly youth, causing a temporary disruption.
What was meant to be a service delivery initiative quickly morphed into a power struggle, with PS Mbaika barring Kimilu from addressing the gathering, accusing him of gatecrashing the event.
Speaking to Soo TV today, Job Tuta expressed deep disappointment in both leaders for turning public service functions into political battlegrounds.
“It is regrettable that just 18 months before the next general election, these two leaders are already chest-thumping in public instead of channeling their energy towards development,” Tuta stated.
He urged both Kimilu and Mbaika to resist the allure of "big man syndrome" and use their positions to address pressing community needs.
“Our roads need fixing, homes are still waiting for electricity, and children need bursaries. Yet here are our leaders trading blows in broad daylight instead of working,” he lamented.
Tuta reminded the duo that the 2027 elections would not be a two-horse race and cautioned them to tone down their pride.
“In 2027, many of us will step forward to contest this seat. And we will remind the people why some leaders should never have been given power in the first place,” he warned.
The political rivalry between Kimilu and PS Terry dates back to the 2022 elections when they faced off for the Kaiti Parliamentary seat. Kimilu, running on a Wiper party ticket, emerged victorious and is now serving his second term as MP.
Terry, who contested under the UDA banner, was later appointed by President William Ruto as Principal Secretary in the State Department for Devolution, before being moved recently to Aviation and Aerospace Development.
Their rivalry, it seems, is far from over — and is now playing out in public at the expense of the people they are meant to serve.
