Muturi crowned DP party leader, presidential candidate

The Democratic Party has endorsed National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi's presidential bid while also unveiling him as the party leader.

Joseph Munyao who was party leader, stepped down for Muturi and was named as the patron of the outfit.

Munyao termed Muturi as an energetic leader who holds the vision of the country at heart and is ready to change its politics.

“We have heard him and we believe in his transformative agenda for the country. We have accorded him our support as party presidential candidate," he said.

The event was attended by Nairobi Senator Johnstone Sakaja, Uhuru’s cousin captain Kungu Muigai and party officials.

Addressing the delegates at Bomas of Kenya, Justin Muturi said he is not ready to join hands with any of the coalitions in the country.

He condemned them for advocating on the politics of hatred saying it might plunge the country into violence if leaders fail to change the tactics.

Muturi said none of the existing coalition means well for the country and Kenyans should make decisions by not voting them in August election.

"Statistics have shown that the corrupt individuals are only 30per cent of the population, the remaining 70 per cent are not and most of them detest it. We need to activate this 70 per cent and they become the eyes, ears and the police force that will stop the corruption," he said.

Muturi vowed to work with the leadership of the democratic party and ensure the sanity of politics in the country is restored.

He also vowed to fight corruption once elected as president.

"We have spent most of our resources and efforts in investigating, arresting, prosecuting and recovering stolen assets, this is not enough, we need to reduce and stop the incidences of corruption to have meaningful gain in this fight," Muturi said at Bomas of Kenya.

He further promised to work on agricultural, health, education and financial reforms to liberate the country from bad policies that are discriminating against the common wananchi.

“I’m ready to liberate my people from bad leadership, I have been tried and tested and my leadership skills and principles are known and thus Kenyans should give me a chance to lead them," he said.

Muturi said once elected the president, one of the major reforms he will do is to scrap the youth ministry as its discriminative while also translating the Helb loan issued to students as grants.

He said majority of Kenyans are youths and thus they should be constituted in all ministries.

He said the Democratic Party government will work with the counties to ensure Kenyans get the services they deserve.

Muturi said the Jubilee administration has made the lives of Kenyans difficult unlike where retired President Mwai Kibaki left it.

“Who is happy with the Jubilee government? he posed. Once elected president, I will scrap this thing you called Fuliza by Safaricom, it has put so many youths into financial problems and that is why you will hear people tell you usitume pesa kwa hii number (don’t send money to this number),” Muturi said.

The speaker warned leaders who are calling for the formation of a one-party state citing the frustration of party leaders who dissolved their parties to form the Jubilee party in 2017.

He said the democratic rights of the country must be exercised.

Muturi said President Uhuru Kenyatta erred in inviting the opposition leader Raila Odinga to inform the government.

“We have never heard in the Kenyan history where the opposition joins the government and its part of the bad manners that I’m talking about.” 

Democratic Party secretary general Shukri Haji said Muturi’s reputation both locally and internationally is known.

"We are convinced that Speaker Muturi is best suited to lead this country after Uhuru. As a party, we are fully behind him and shall lead in selling his agenda across the country," he said.

Haji said the party is determined to return the country to economic stability as steered by Kibaki.

"Through the leadership of  Muturi, DP will return the nation to the economic development level that our founder steered the country to when he was in power," he said.

He said the party has laid out elaborate strategies to ensure Muturi garners the most votes in the region and urged their competitors to exercise restraint and observe the code of conduct for elections.

Sakaja also described the Speaker as a committed public servant.

Politics isn’t enmity, we might vary politically but having political manners and respect is a key thing that everyone must emulate," he said.

The endorsement of Muturi as party leader comes a few months after he was coronated by some Kikuyu elders as the spokesperson of the Mt Kenya community.

The coronation went on under tight security after some Murang’a leaders earlier vowed to stop the occasion terming it political.

This would later create political tension among Central Kenya leaders and saw the rift in Mt Kenya widen further, pitting Mt Kenya East against Mt Kenya West.

Muigai told the media that Muturi had the blessing of Uhuru.

He termed Muturi as Uhuru’s deputy spokesperson a move that didn’t go well with Murang’a Governor Mwangi Wa Iria who led a delegation of elders to cleanse the shrine.

Muturi is now expected to face off with the Kenya Kwanza team led by deputy president William Ruto, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang'ula.

He will also face off with the Oka team led by Kalonzo Musyoka, Gideon Moi and Martha Karua as well as former prime minister Raila Odinga.

Speaking on Saturday at Thika stadium during a homecoming party of Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria and Narc Kenya leader Karua vowed to bring the leaders of Mt Kenya unity forum together.

Karua said that Limuru III will be held in March this year to deliberate on the way forward.

None of the Mt Kenya unity forum officials attended Muturi’s event at Bomas.