Blame game in Tharaka Nithi over street names

A section of leaders from Tharaka Nithi County led by Chuka Igamba Ng’ombe Member of Parliament, Muthomi Njuki, have accused senior officials at the County Government of defacing some of the newly erected streets signs named after the local leaders in Chuka Town.

The leaders have also dispelled rumors that the streets, named after President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto, have been defaced accusing some local leaders of working to create a rift between the top leadership of Jubilee and the residents of Chuka.

Muthomi wondered why all the other 23 street names have not been defaced which means some people are trying to play dirty politics, which he termed as cheap and irresponsible.

The streets names defaced are those named after Senator Kithure Kindiki, Chuka University Vice Chancellor Prof Erastus Njoka and area MP Muthomi Njuki.

Njuki said that there are a section of local leaders who are not happy with the naming since their names did not feature anywhere, saying that there is no amount of propaganda that can separate the people of Chuka from the Jubilee Government.

“Those who are complaining that we have named our streets after Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, did they want us to name them after Raila Odinga who has done nothing for the people of Tharaka Nithi?” he posed.

Njuki said that those who defaced some of the street signs named after the ancestors and sub-tribes of Tharaka Nithi County have no respect to the society and are only acting to divide the people for selfish political gains.

On his part, Chuka University Vice Chancellor, Prof Erastus Njoka, whose street name was defaced, termed as selfish and unpatriotic the move to deface street names done to honor those who made the effort to ensure Chuka roads were tarmacked.

Prof Njoka said that it is through his effort, that of Chuka MP, Muthomi Njuki, and of Senator Kithure Kindiki that the roads were tarmacked in 2014 and that those who did not make any initiative are feeling jealous about them taking credit.

He challenged those who feel bad that their names did not appear should go to Kathwana, the county headquarters and tarmac all the roads, after which they can name them after themselves for work they have done.

Njoka bashed Governor Samuel Mbae Ragwa for skipping President Uhuru Kenyatta’s meeting in 2013 where the President ordered the immediate tarmacking of Chuka Town roads, and that’s the reason why the roads have been named after those who attended.