• Ruto said the next Kenyan president won’t be decided by a few individuals in hotels and offices.
• He said the former Prime Minister has no development track record.
Image: GEORGE OWITI
Deputy President William Ruto has urged Kenyans to support the Kenya Kwanza Alliance to enable them to form a government that will address the needs of ordinary citizens.
Speaking during a political rally in Athi River, Machakos County on Wednesday, Ruto slammed ODM chief Raila Odinga’s presidential bid stating that the 2022 Presidential race isn’t a beauty contest.
Ruto said the former Prime Minister has no development track record to show despite serving as a prime minister in the grand coalition government.
“Are you ready we form the next government, the hustler government? 2022 Presidential race isn’t a beauty contest. When I was deputy president we constructed 700 kilometres railway, 10, 000 kilometres of roads, connected 8.5 million Kenyans to electricity, and established 170 technical training colleges,” Ruto said.
“What did Raila do when he was a Prime Minister? Since you are the people who will decide, will the 2022 Presidential job be for hustler or ‘yule mzee wa Kitendawili?” Ruto said.
At the same time, the DP said the next Kenyan president won’t be decided by a few individuals in hotels and offices but by the majority of the Kenyan electorate.
“And that is why we have reached here to ask for your support our brothers and sisters. A few individuals won’t decide for us, but only the electorate,” Ruto said.
“Our commitment is to ensure that Kenya progresses development-wise alongside reducing the cost of living among Kenyans,” Ruto said.
He said his government will focus on youth empowerment to ensure that each Kenyan youth has technical skills so as to secure job opportunities moving forward.
Ruto said his administration will ensure that agriculture is properly organized so that food becomes available and affordable.
“We must put money in Agriculture as a government so that we help farmers to produce more food and reduce the cost of living for Kenyans,” he said.
He criticized President Uhuru Kenyatta for imposing a national ban on scrap metal stating that the move is unfair to dealers.
“There is no need of shutting some people’s businesses because of criminals. If there are criminals, they should be arrested and taken to court,” Ruto said.
He reiterated that all Kenyans will have NHIF by December 2022 if he wins the presidential race.
Ruto was accompanied by his Kenya Kwanza Alliance counterparts Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), and Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang'ula alongside MPs Vincent Musyoka (Mwala) and Machakos Town’s Victor Munyaka.
The politicians criticized President Uhuru’s administration for what they referred to as being insensitive to the high cost of living.
Mudavadi said the country should have free, fair and peaceful elections with no parties moving to court to contest presidential results.
He said the country’s main agenda should be the economy stating that their government will improve living standards alongside job creation.
“Though we are happy with the infrastructure, debts won’t allow Kenyans to have money in their pockets. We want to reduce the costs of living,” Mudavadi said.
Wetangula on his part criticized Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka for supporting Raila’s presidency having backed him in both 2013 and 2017 unsuccessfully.
Edited by B.Marita