- Raila rallied Nakuru residents to turn out and register as voters to support his bid.
- He dismissed critics of his Sh6,000 monthly stipend for vulnerable households.
Image: BEN NDONG'A
ODM leader Raila Odinga on Sunday took his Azimio campaigns to Nakuru with a promise that fertilizer prices will come down next week.
Raila said he had a discussion with President Uhuru Kenyatta on the soaring fertilizer prices saying the head of state promised to act fast.
“From next week, prices of fertilizer will go down following our discussions with the President who sent his greetings to you. After August, we will put it below Sh3,000 per bag,” Raila said.
The ODM leader further pledged his administration would scale up subsidies for farmers with a view to revitalising the agriculture sector.
Raila reiterated his plans for smart agriculture and value addition, adding that he would increase the network of roads and electricity connectivity should he form the next government.
In various stops, the former Prime Minister also pledged to put a spirited fight against corruption at all levels of the government restating his promise to seal all graft loopholes.
“We will fight corruption, which is the greatest enemy of Kenyans. We will do this not only among the top government officials, but also at the lower levels,” the ODM leader said.
He dismissed critics of his Sh6,000 monthly stipend for vulnerable households saying that having been PM for five years, he knows where the money would come from.
The ODM leader and DP William Ruto have been trading barbs over the social protection plan with the latter accusing Raila of encouraging handouts.
“I know where the money is and where the loopholes exist. We know those who prefer to carry money in bags for fundraisers and gifts to hoodwink Kenyans.”
On national unity, Raila said he was happy to see Kenyans living together, urging Nakuru residents to hold together as “each Kenyans has a right to live anywhere.”
He was accompanied by Governors Lee Kinyanjui (Nakuru), Ndiritu Muriithi (Laikipia), and MPs Kanini Kega (Kieni), Junet Mohamed (Suna East), Maina Kamanda (Nominated), former MPs Joseph Kiuna, Njenga Mungai and a host of MCAs.
Raila further rallied residents to register as voters in the ongoing enhanced mass listing by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.
The ODM leader said it was only through the ballot that Kenyans would install a leadership that will deal with the country’s post-independence problems—poverty, ignorance, and diseases.
Raila exuded confidence he would form the next government after President Uhuru Kenyatta leaves office in August.
“It cannot be that we still have the enemies—poverty, disease and ignorance—58 years later. We must change our way of doing things. Let’s first finish corruption which is the biggest enemy of Kenyans.”
Raila further dismissed Ruto’s bottom-up approach saying Kenyan youths deserve to get better jobs after going through school.
He restated his pledge for free education for all from nursery school to tertiary institutions as well as universal health cover for all.
“We want youths to get jobs. We will ensure all our children get equitable chance to go to school from nursery to tertiary. We want youths to get meaningful jobs and not wheelbarrows,” Raila said.
The ODM leader at the same pledged tax and loan holidays for startups, especially those run by the youths, where the groups would be granted loans with a seven-year grace period.
He also rallied Nakuru to support his bid citing plans to improve their standards of living and healthcare under the “Babacare” plan.
Raila said it was regrettable that most Kenyans have no money to access healthcare while some are unable to secure admission for lack of deposit.
“It is sad that bodies are detained for days over unpaid bills. We will roll out an NHIF programme for all. Those who cannot pay will have their contributions catered for by the government.”
Governor Kinyanjui asked the region’s voters to back Raila saying the unity call in the Azimio campaign will take the country to greater heights.
“There is no time we have stopped doing our things because of our tribal identities. We want you to be the father of Maasais, Kikuyus, Kalenjins, and all. We don’t want politics of dividing Kenyans,” the governor said.
Muriithi hit out at Ruto saying the DP was directly involved in the fall of agriculture when he served as the minister in retired President Mwai Kibaki's administration.
Kega drummed up support for Raila saying, “We are relying so much on you. You are the person who will bring lasting peace in this country. We know you hold no grudges with anybody.”
Kamanda said, “Raila liberated us from the 24-year rule of Moi. He also said Kibaki Tosha and we saw the progress that followed.”
-Edited by SKanyara
Image: BEN NDONG'A