- Ababu says he has secured his position among the first 11 in Deputy President William Ruto’s hustler nation.
- There had been speculation at the start of January that the CAS planned to vie for the Busia gubernatorial seat on the UDA ticket.
Foreign Affairs Chief Administrative Secretary Ababu Namwamba has said he will not contest for any seat but will focus on marketing Deputy President William Ruto’s presidential bid.
He said on Saturday in Busia town that he will not seek to recapture the Budalang’i MP seat. Raphael Wanjala is the incumbent MP. He defeated Ababu in the 2017 polls.
Before being elbowed out by Wanjala, Ababu had served as MP for 10 years, between 2007 and 2017.
“I have already announced that the Budalang’i parliamentary seat is one shoe that my foot no longer fits. I'm now an international figure and I can’t play in amateur leagues again. I have already declared that I will not contest for any political seat during the August general election,” he said.
“I will be engaged in other business. I have secured my position among the first 11 in Deputy President William Ruto’s hustler nation and that is the wheel that I will be pushing until the end of the current political period. Already, we are preparing ourselves as a team.”
Ababu on December 31 last year officially declared he had joined UDA.
The CAS said he will not support leaders he described as "story tellers".
He said that Kenya needs action-oriented leaders like Ruto.
There had been speculation at the start of January that the CAS planned to vie for the Busia gubernatorial seat on the UDA ticket.
“The only thing I can assure Kenyans is that this time round, in Budalang’i, Busia and Western Kenya, it is going to be tough and we have decided we will convert this region into a hustler nation.”
In an earlier interview with the Star, the CAS said he would work closely with Ruto to deliver his presidency.
"I believe he offers this country a fresh beginning. I believe this country is at the cusp of a fresh beginning that has a paradigm shift in how it manages the affairs of Kenya,” he said.
“An equitable society where everyone can become something and feel they belong. I believe this vision amplified by the DP. Another Kenya is possible under DP Ruto.”
Edited by A.N