NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 19 – Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka on Thursday defended the government from accusations of locking out those who were opposed to the new Constitution in the implementation process.
Mr Musyoka who spoke moments after arriving back in the country from a week-long tour of China said the Cabinet implementation committee could not include everyone. He instead argued that every Kenyan to own the Constitution process for its implementation to be realised.
“I think everybody now knows that when you win big like Kenyans did, then you don’t want to follow people up to the ground and beat them up. You want to lift up everybody. I also don’t think it was a matter of leaving people out because it is impossible to leave out Kenyans from their future,” he said.
The Vice President also welcomed his new responsibilities as the leader of Government Business in Parliament, with a promise to reach out to everyone regardless of their stand on the new Constitution.
“I would rather we look to this thing more positively and I think we are moving in that direction. Now that there are no ‘Greens’ or ‘Reds’ I would be expecting every Member of Parliament to do their best in implementing the new laws. We are all Kenyans,” he said.
Mr Musyoka further asked Kenyans to separate politics from the constitutional review process saying it would only serve to derail the country’s efforts.
He also rubbished claims that he and Higher Education Minister William Ruto were about to form a political alliance for the 2012 general elections.
Agriculture Assistant Minister Kareke Mbiuki, who had accompanied the Vice President on the tour and was present during the press briefing, however proposed that the Vice President considers forming the union with Ruto in readiness for the 2012 elections.
“We all know who might carry the day but I believe we can avoid a second run off if Mheshimiwa Kalonzo Musyoka, Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto sat down and agreed to work together. I can tell you that within the next one week they will be sitting down,” he said.
The VP asked Kenyans to emulate the Chinese people in working hard as it would have a positive impact on the country’s economy. He noted that the agricultural sector in China had undergone significant developments that had led to the country’s growth.
“It was announced only this week that the Gross Domestic Product of the People’s Republic of China has overtaken that of Japan and has become the second largest economy after the United States,” he said.
He also proposed that Kenya considers irrigating dry regions to make them agriculturally productive: “We have revived Bura irrigation scheme and others and I believe this is the way to go.”
The VP who added that both China and Kenya benefited from their cordial relationship however observed that China gained more in terms of business than her partner did.
“We need to improve the balance of trade between Kenya and China because it heavily favours the Chinese. There are so many opportunities that could be exploited,” he noted.
He explained that China had promised to set up a demonstration farm in Kenya as they had in Egypt, Congo, and Sudan.
Demonstration farms are privately owned lands where conservation practices are already in place and working to improve the productivity of the farm.
The VP attended the China-Africa Agricultural Forum and also toured the Denghai Seed Company in Lai Zhou County which develops the high yield maize seed used to produce most of the maize grown in China.
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