Former Laikipia North MP Mathew Lempurkulel was sentenced to jail for one year for assaulting the current MP Sarah Korere.
The incident occurred on November 21, 2016 at Harambee House in Nairobi.
Youth from Maasai community from different universities have now threatened to withdraw their support for ODM party leader Raila Odinga and Deputy President William Ruto if they fail to do something to get Lempurkulel out of jail.
Lempurkulel was sentenced to jail without an alternative of a fine by Senior Principal magistrate Hellen Onkwani as a lesson to others.
Speaking in an interview with Maa TV, the youths said that they were ashamed of the community’s leadership for failing to defend one of their own.
“We would wish to ask our leaders to kindly come out and speak for Lempurkulel, he has been jailed for a whole year and no alternative of even a fine. Something that is not good at all,” one of the youths said.
They accused Raila and Ruto for being silent on the matter yet the former lawmaker is a strong supporter of the former prime minister.
“Lempurkel has been a long supporter of the right honorable Prime Minister Raila Odiga. We don’t understand why he has decided to remain silent. Lempurkel has been his loyal supporter from the day he (Raila) declared his interest to lead the country. The Maasai’s have been loyal supporters of Raila Odinga and there is no need for us to keep quiet when we know there is someone who can bail Lempurkel out,” the youths said.
They went ahead to urge political aspirants to support them in their quest to have lempurkulel freed on bond or an alternative of a fine.
“How dare you celebrate in your villages holding campaigns regularly when Lempurkel is suffering?” they asked.
The students felt that the matter should have been solved by community elders and not in court.
“This is a case that could have been handled by the village elders instead of taking it so serious to an extent of not giving him a fine option,” they said.
They vowed to demonstrate on Monday to demand for a retrial of the former MP’s case.
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