A Kisii legislator called on voters in the Gusii region to reject political leaders who are turning their backs on former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i’s bid for the presidency in the upcoming general elections.

Among those leaders who had since backed off the former education CS is Kisii Governor Simba Arati and a section of the Ward Reps.

The Governor has since defended his move describing Matiangi as a “heifer already on heat” who was unhelpful to the country at the moment.

Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi strongly lashed out at the Governor and his other anti-Matiangi band describing them as “lukewarm and opportunistic” adding that they had ‘betrayed the collective community trust on their son”.

“He (Dr Matiang’i ) has the experience, the integrity, and the vision to lead this country. Anyone from our region who cannot support him should be rejected at the ballot,” said Kibagendi.

Consequently, the legislation said he has now made it a duty to decampaign them branding them as traitors.

“Yes, I have now personally made it clear that he who that is not with us in this transformatiom journey they be rejected, it doesn’t matter whether you’re my friend or not,”Kibagendi told journalists at his Nairobi offices.

The MP, a vocal ally of Matiang’i, accused the “traitors “of playing politics of survival, urging voters to demand clarity and commitment from their representatives.

“These are the same styled hauling people for rice and soups in Statehouse, they are turncoats without principles,” he stated.

He separately lashed out on his Kitutu Chache North counterpart MP Japhet Nyakundi accusing him of snooping on colleagues from the region in a bid to tarnish their reputations and gain political mileage with President William Ruto.

He claimed the MP had been “actively collecting personal information” on other MPs with the intention of “bringing them down politically.”

“This kind of political sabotage has no place among us. We must protect the integrity of the Gusii leadership and stop this culture of betrayal,” the MP stated

He also poked holes on Ruto’s tenure, calling him a liar.

“We were not only hoodwinked as a community but as a nation to elect a President who is a liar. Did he say he will bring down the cost of gas, he even wanted to raise fees at universities had we not objected,” he said.

Kibagendi expressed frustration with Ruto’s failure to fulfill key campaign promises.

“The people who believed in the bottom-up agenda feel betrayed. The cost of living is higher than ever, unemployment remains rampant, and corruption persists,” the ODM-aligned legislator said.