- The ANC boss also downplayed leadership wrangles in the One Kenya Alliance, saying the new outfit will soon be a reality.
ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi has criticised Deputy President William Ruto’s bottom-up economic model, saying it is too academic and impractical to implement.
Speaking during a church service at ACK Emmanuel Riruta Church in Kawangware, Nairobi on Sunday, Mudavadi said the economic model offers no practical solutions to Kenya's problems.
He said Kenya's economic challenges require proper identification followed by the enactment of practical policy changes to address them.
Mudavadi said Kenya is faced with an economic crisis that needs serious attention but not through models.
He said the models only serve to confuse Kenyans who are in dire need of practical steps towards reviving the economy.
“Let us not confuse Kenyans by talking about models. What we need is to be practical about our public debt, corruption and agree if taxation is becoming a problem. People are feeling the weight of taxation that is now becoming punitive,” Mudavadi said.
He added, “Once you have diagnosed, provide targeted corrective measures and policy decisions that can address that situation but don’t talk about models, we are not in an economic class.”
DP Ruto has been advocating for a bottom-up economic model, a blueprint targeting to promote investments of ordinary Kenyans and empowering them financially so the country can generate taxes to spur the economy.
Mudavadi was accompanied by Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula, Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja, Nominated Senator Patronila Were and MPs Chris Wamalwa (Kiminini) and Ayub Savula (Lugari).
The ANC boss also downplayed leadership wrangles in the One Kenya Alliance, saying the new outfit will soon be a reality.
OKA brings together Mudavadi’s ANC, Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya, Gideon Moi’s Kanu and Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper party.
Star on Friday reported that OKA has been hit by fresh political turbulence that threatens its take-off after Kanu insisted it is not yet ready to seal a deal with the outfit.
The ANC boss’ tough stance on being Oka’s 2022 presidential flag-bearer was also cited as complicating efforts to cobble together an alliance.
But on Sunday, Mudavadi said they are on course with the formation of the new alliance.
“We cannot enter into a new coalition until we have dealt with the previous one. Can we go step by step?”
The MPs warned against any attempt to postpone next year's general election, insisting the country must go to the polls in August.
Wetangula, Savula, Wamalwa and Sakaja said they will shoot down any proposal brought to Parliament to extend the life of the current government.
Wetang'ula said Covid-19 should not be used as an excuse to stop the 2022 General Election.
They cited the US, Uganda and Tanzania as some of the countries that have held elections during the pandemic.
"No one has authority to postpone elections. Tanzania, Uganda and the US have held elections under the weight of Covid-19. We must learn to live even under stress,” the Bungoma senator said.
"We have a five-year term. We will not allow anyone to try to postpone the elections."
Edited by P.O