Speaking during Raila’s burial ceremony in Siaya county, Ruto said in the
last three months before Raila’s death, the two held “candid and sincere”
conversations on how to elevate Kenya from a third-world to a first-world
country.
“We sat together and we agreed with Raila. And I want to say here in front of his body, we agreed that we must do whatever it takes to get Kenya out of this third-world status and move it to the first world,” he said.
The ceremony was held at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology.
The Head of State added that Raila urged him to reach out to
Uhuru Kenyatta so they could work together on a shared national development
agenda.
“We agreed that I would reach out to our fourth president,
Uhuru Kenyatta, who is seated here. And I want to thank him immensely for
joining in the effort to put this country together, to eliminate division and
tribalism and forge unity that will lift Kenya from a third-world to a
first-world nation,” he said.
Ruto recounted how he later met Uhuru to discuss the ideas
he and Raila had shared.
“I booked an appointment, sat down with President Uhuru
Kenyatta, and we discussed what I had agreed with the Prime Minister about the
future of our country,” he said.
As part of that plan, Ruto said that Raila’s former
economic adviser, Prof Hiroyuki Hino, had visited Kenya last month to
provide technical input on their joint vision for economic transformation.
Prof Hino served as Raila’s economic adviser when he was
Prime Minister between 2008 and 2013.
Among the projects the two leaders agreed to prioritise are the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha through Siaya to Malaba, and the expansion of the dual carriageway from Rironi through Nakuru, Eldoret, Kericho and Kisumu to Malaba.
“We agreed with him on how we are going to build a new
airport and how we are going to expand our infrastructure. These are things I
need to say in front of you while the late is here,” Ruto said.
He added that Raila was keen on advancing
Kenya’s energy security, particularly through the establishment of nuclear
power.
“You all know that here in Siaya, there is a plan for
nuclear energy because Raila said we cannot be a country that develops if
we don’t have enough energy. He proposed that we should generate at least
10,000 megawatts,” he said.
Ruto said he has since been engaging MPs to rally behind the vision he shared with Raila, describing it as a
transformative national agenda.
He said Raila was deeply concerned
about the state of development in the country.
“He often reminded us about South Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, countries that were at par with Kenya 60 years ago but have since advanced. It pained him that Kenya still lagged,” the President said.
