Former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi. Photo / Courtesy
The ambassador says honesty and courage matter most when politics threatens to divide
By Brian Gitonga
Kenya’s Ambassador to the Netherlands, Halima Yussuf Mucheke, has praised former Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi for speaking openly about the need for the Meru community to unite around shared interests.
In a statement issued following Linturi’s recent interview with Meru media stations, Mucheke said she welcomed his frankness, describing honesty and courage as essential qualities at a time when political competition could easily drive communities apart.
“I wish to commend Mithika Linturi for his candid and forthright statement. At a time when our politics can easily divide us, honesty and courage in expressing our position are important,” she said.
Her statement centred on the need for the Meru community to find common ground despite differing political views, while also acknowledging leaders from the region serving at various levels of government. Mucheke noted that all those eyeing the Meru governorship were sons of the soil, but pointed to Deputy President Kithure Kindiki as the only Meru son currently serving at the national level.
“Let us also remember that all those aspiring for the governorship are sons of the soil, but at the national level, Kithure Kindiki remains the only Meru son serving at that level. This is therefore a moment for Merus, for the first time, to speak with one voice in support of our own, just as we have consistently stood with and supported our neighbours,” she said.
Mucheke was clear that community solidarity did not require uniformity of opinion. Differences in political thought, she argued, should not stand in the way of coming together when a genuine shared interest was at stake.
“There is nothing wrong with supporting our own while respecting everyone else. Unity does not mean that we must all think alike; it means that, when it matters, we can come together around a common interest,” she said.
She urged the community to look past internal disagreements and organise itself so that its collective voice carried weight, while maintaining respect for others. The ambassador closed by returning to where she had begun — crediting Linturi for breaking the silence and starting a conversation she described as long overdue.
“Kudos, Mithika Linturi, for speaking candidly and putting this important conversation on the table,” Mucheke said.
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