TROUBLE AS DP RUTO ACCUSES PRESIDENT UHURU KENYATTA

Deputy President William Ruto yesterday took a swipe at President Uhuru Kenyatta for prioritising his succession politics by returning the country to tribal groupings.

Uhuru last Wednesday met former Nasa chiefs at State House, Mombasa, to craft his 2022 succession strategy. Ruto dismissed the plan, saying priority should be given to the economic hardship Kenyans are facing.

“For those of us in leadership, let us find ways of uniting all Kenyans. I know our friends who prefer seminars and retreats and conferences are at it again. To plan how five or six men will share power and positions,” he said.

“I want to tell them with humility that as you plan how to share power and positions, there are more than 15 million Kenyans who are expecting jobs, business opportunities, food production so that we all walk together as Kenyans. The priority for the nation is not how we as leaders should share positions and power.”

Ruto spoke during a church service at St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Gatina, Dagoretti North. He observed that for a long time, Kenya’s politics had concentrated on leaders, positions, power and constitutional review rather than the aspirations of the ordinary people.

He said the priority should be how to create an economic revolution that will create jobs and opportunities and make every Kenyan contribute their talent, energy and expertise in making the country great.

He urged his competitors to focus on people-centered politics instead of forming ethnic-based alliances to take him down in 2022.

The DP, who is keen to succeed Uhuru on August 9 next year, criticised his opponents for not including Kenyans in their agenda for next year’s polls and centering their conversation around a few individuals.

“Look for ways to unite all Kenyans. Don’t hold conferences to discuss power-sharing among five individuals,” he said.

“Kenyans don’t want power-sharing coalitions, they want opportunities for jobs and economic empowerment. The priority of the nation right now is not power-sharing but creating an economic revolution for creating jobs and opportunities.” 

He was accompanied by MPs John Kiarie (Dagoretti South), James Gakuya (Embakasi North), Nixon Korir (Lang’ata), Kimani Ichung’wah (Kikuyu) and former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru.

Others were Kenyan football star McDonald Mariga, ex-MP Omingo Magara.

The DP said only an economic revolution can make Kenya politically stable. He said in an economic revolution anchored on the bottom-up approach, millions of jobs will be created and businesses will flourish.

“This will usher in a Kenya that is economically prosperous, hence uniting the people,” he said.

With unity, the country can implement as many development projects as possible, he said.

Ruto called for a fresh path founded on economic transformation.

“The priority of our nation is not on how we should share power. It is on how we can make Kenyans prosper economically.”

The Deputy President urged leaders to unite and pull together towards breaking the foundations of tribalism.

Ichung’wah said it was time leaders engaged in the politics of respect without insulting others, their economic backgrounds notwithstanding.

“We must engage in the politics of bettering the lives of ordinary Kenyans. When people are economically prosperous, they will naturally unite,” the MP said.

Kiarie said unity will be meaningful if those without jobs are part of the equation of economic prosperity. Korir said Kenya is in a new era of political empowerment “and not the creation of power for politicians”.

By The Star Kenya