Handshake brothers have never slept hungry — Ruto

Deputy President William Ruto has sustained his spirited criticism of his boss Uhuru Kenyatta, warning Kenyans not to elect leaders "who have never slept hungry."

The DP spoke during a Kenya Kwanza rally in Ngara, hours after he accepted the UDA nomination as a presidential candidate.

He said Uhuru and ODM boss Raila Odinga do not understand the problems of ordinary Kenyans.

“The handshake brothers have never slept hungry, they have never gone job hunting and they do not know what poverty is,” Ruto said.

He said Kenyans should chose people “who know what it means to sleep hungry and not children of privileged families.”

“The people who have never gone to the ground and are now saying they have a candidate for you.  Will the people who meet in hotels be the ones who will decide who leads this country? Is it them or you?” Ruto posed.

The deputy president said Uhuru and Raila are only after amending the constitution and not addressing the needs of ordinary Kenyans.   

“When we tell them we must improve the lives of small traders and youth, they want to first change the constitution to share positions and create an imperial presidency.

"When we tell them we want to give priority to agriculture, they want to do other things and run the show in the Judiciary. Please, let us not make a mistake and elect such people," he said.

Accompanying Ruto in the rally were senators Kithure Kindiki (Tharaka Nithi), Johnson Sakaja (Nairobi) and Millicent Omanga (Nominated).

Others were legislators Rigathi Gachagua (Mathira), Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu) and a host of aspirants seeking elective seats in Nairobi.

The deputy president said hawking, grocery and boda boda businesses should be treated as jobs.

“We must plan and put in place measures that will protect such businesses and help them grow, so that we can have a Kenya where everyone can work and live a decent life,” he said.

Ruto said innocent boda boda operators across the country were punished over a sexual assault incident on a female motorist on Forest Road in Nairobi on March 4.

“Boda boda operators have been taken through hell because of a few criminals. We will not allow them to be made to abandon the business. The criminals who committed the office should face the law.

"Let us not make boda boda business look like a crime. The criminals are same as those who stole Kemsa money. They should be arrested as well,” he said.

The deputy president said operators who had their motorcycles confiscated should have their bikes and money paid as fines returned.

“Criminals are people who break the law. Those who did evil at Forest Road should all be arrested. Boda boda operators should not be troubled because of criminals,” he added.

On Tuesday Ruto said within 100 days in office, he will institute a radical surgery of the economy, restoration of institutional independence and a ruthless war on cartels.

He also said he has a robust programme to address the country’s ballooning debt, revive industries to create jobs for the youth, liberalise business and end impunity and monopoly by cartels. 

The DP said that the country’s tax collection has stagnated for years because of massive conflict of interest by top government officials, denying the country revenues. 

"It is tragic that the only thing handshake has done is to borrow Sh7 trillion in four years and we must investigate,” he said. 

Ruto said debt must be the last resort and that people must not be slaves of debt.

Uhuru's government has increased public debt by Sh7 trillion from nearly Sh2 trillion since assuming office in 2013. 

Within his first days in office, Ruto said he intends to “free state institutions from state capture” saying the country’s key independent institutions have been politicised. 

"On our first day we will free the DCI and KRA from the state capture. They have weaponised DCI, KRA and the EACC to run political errands and dismantle businesses that belong to people who do not worship them," Ruto said. 

He said part of his reforms in government would include creating an accounting officer for the inspector general of police and the DCI to give them financial independence. 

“We will professionalise the DCI’s office and KRA, they will never depend on the office of the president to discharge their responsibility,” Ruto said. 

The DP said his administration will restore institutional independence. 

“Our competitors have told us that this country belongs to those in power. They believe in impunity and monopolies and they believe in cartels. We believe in the rule of law,” Ruto said.  

The DP said he will sponsor radical reforms at the KRA.

He said he will digitise its systems to ensure efficiency in revenue collection as well as seal loopholes used by cartels to siphon public funds. 

“We will ensure that KRA collects all taxes professionally. The 60 per cent that are not collected as VAT, we will make sure that we will create the mechanism so that we don’t have to fight Kenyans and destroy people’s businesses,” Ruto said. 

He said he will also establish a Judiciary fund that is provided for in the constitution.

The DP says the fund has never been actualised since 2010 despite pleas from the Judicial arm of government. 

“We will make the Judiciary truly independent so that they do not receive telephone calls from the Executive for them to write judgment," he said. 

Ruto said he will reform the agriculture sector, the backbone of the country’s economy, by dismantling cartels and brokers that he claimed have captured the sector. 

The UDA boss said farmers are in pain due to skyrocketing farm inputs, lack of access to markets and poor prices because of the monopoly. 

"Our competitors are the masters of monopoly and agents of state capture, we must free this country," he said. 

Ruto also said he will deal firmly with monopolies that have held agriculture hostage and ensure farmers access fertiliser and have markets for their products.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)