- Raila plans to invest in the rural areas barely a week after he unveiled a 17- point agenda to counter DP William Ruto bottom-up economic model.
- In the agenda, Raila pledged to turn around the economy, entrench the rule of law and fight graft that has stagnated the country’s progress.
Image: TWITTER/RAILA ODINGA
ODM leader Raila Odinga has unveiled an economic blueprint to transform rural economies which he says will create rich villages and transform Kenya.
Raila’s move appears to be a deliberate response to Deputy President William Ruto’s bottom-up economic model that he has consistently trashed as promoting the handout culture.
The former Prime Minister said he will develop and implement policies on rural transformation that make rural life more liveable.
“Transforming Kenya from a poor to a prosperous country will require a very deliberate focus on turning around the fortunes of rural Kenya,” he said.
The ODM boss said he will develop policies that discourage rural-urban migration and introduce approaches that encourage rural-urban integration.
To transform village lives, Raila said he will pursue massive investment in development planning specific to rural areas and invest in rural infrastructure.
In addition, his administration will provide reliable, cheap electricity and clean water for all. He will also provide good public schools.
“Children and parents in rural areas must be confident that the education they are receiving is not in any way inferior to that of their counterparts in urban areas," he said.
The AU special envoy said that he will invest in food production, saying the years ahead "should not have rural Kenya where people call themselves farmers while they go to bed on empty stomachs".
The ODM chief said his administration will provide reliable, efficient and quality healthcare resources.
“The end result will be the creation of functional and rich villagers who have money in their pockets living dignified and decent life in rural Kenya,” he said.
Raila has consistently trashed Ruto’s bottom-up economic model claiming it encourages the handout culture.
Ruto has been giving wheelbarrows, car washing machines, motorcycles, animal feed and sewing machines to the youth.
But both Raila and President Uhuru Kenyatta have criticised the move saying it’s not sustainable and government agenda should be driven by policy.
Barely a week ago, Raila released snippets of his 2022 blueprint that will anchor his presidential run.
The blueprint makes national stability, the war against corruption, job creation, industrialisation and support for small business the centre of his 2022 presidential run.
Though he has not stated publicly that he will seek the top seat, Raila has embarked on key activities including consolidating his traditional support bases, leaving no doubt that he will vie.
Raila’s men have also made it clear that their leader will go for the top seat.
Currently, ODM is crafting a pre-election coalition with Jubilee Party even as they attempt to unite the four Nasa principals to face DP Ruto next year.
Ruto has rolled out his agenda, the bottom-up economic model which he believes will empower the majority of Kenyans at the bottom of the pyramid to turnaround the economy of the country.
Raila said during his tenure as Prime Minister, he championed slum upgrading as a means of ensuring those fleeing rural areas do not end up in more deplorable urban dwellings.
President Kenyatta, on the other hand, has championed urban regeneration, he said.
“Going forward, and to ensure a more balanced growth, urban regeneration will need to go hand in hand with a very deliberate policy of rural transformation that makes rural life more liveable and migration to cities unnecessary,” he said.
In his 17-point agenda dubbed ‘What Raila Believes In’, he promised zero-tolerance for corruption in a bid to save the country from entrenched graft in the public sector that drains away billions of taxpayers' money.
“It must be zero-tolerance for complacency. Zero-tolerance for corruption,” Raila said in his policy outline.
The ODM leader said he will ensure a fair, efficient and transparent Judiciary so that the courts are accountable to the people they serve.
“Investors and citizens need assurance that when disputes arise, there will be a Judiciary that will deliver fast, fair and transparent justice,” Raila said.
The ODM leader said he would ensure massive investment in manpower development through universal access to public education.
Trained manpower is the single most important factor determining whether the nation is competitive or not, he said.
Edited by Henry Makori