Youth in Trans Nzoia County have pledged to raise funds to reimburse COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli after he claimed to have funded Governor George Natembeya during the 2022 election campaign.
Atwoli made the statement on Friday, January 3, during the burial of National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula’s mother, where he asserted that he was the financier behind Natembeya’s successful gubernatorial bid.
The youths have now demanded that Atwoli provide the full amount of money he allegedly assisted or lent to the governor.
“We heard that you (Atwoli) contributed money to our governor. We want you to give us the full amount you loaned him,” one of the youths said.
“Therefore, We, along with everyone else, will raise that money today and tomorrow and return it to you.”
Youth Pledge Refund After Atwoli Claims Sponsoring Natembeya
Atwoli’s comments came after Governor Natembeya criticized him for suggesting that some individuals may be faking their own abductions to create chaos and blame the government.
“On abductions, I work with many organizations across the world, some people are abducting themselves so that they can get money from some organizations,” Atwoli said.
Also Read: Natembeya Rescued After Crowd Turned Hostile During Burial of Wetang’ula’s Mother
However, in a rejoinder, Natembeya termed the remarks by Atwoli as unfortunate insisting that those abducted must be set free to give their families peace of mind.
“I say this with a very heavy heart. For a leader to stand here and say people are abducting and killing themselves, is unfortunate. It is not for these hallowed grounds,” he said.
The governor further acknowledged the prevalence of online abuse by youth, including insults on social media, but stressed that such behaviour did not warrant abductions or extrajudicial killings.
“The youth are abusing people on social media. On my social media platforms, 8 out of 10 comments are insults. That needs to change. But if it cannot change, people do not need to be killed or abducted because of it,” Natembeya added.
Natembeya, who had been vocal against the abductions, received backlash after his speech at the burial.
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Also Read: Gachagua Fires Back at Ichung’wah Over Abduction Claims
Ichung’wah Claims Natembeya is Behind Abductions
His stance on the matter led to a heated exchange with several political figures like Kikuyu MP and National Assembly majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah, further intensifying the ongoing debate.
In defence of Atwoli, Ichung’wah accused Natembeya of hypocrisy, pointing to his tenure as a Regional Commissioner during the previous administration, which faced allegations of abductions and extrajudicial killings.
“Shame on you! And I say again, shame you, governor. You cannot claim abductions when you are the key abductor and murderer of Kenyans in the previous regime,” Ichung’wah said.
“Your former leader in tribal politics, the former Deputy President, was the one orchestrating these abductions to blame William Ruto. We know them, we see them in broad daylight, and we will expose them publicly.”
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