Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, he questioned the real intention of the Opposition alliance and wondered how the biting challenges facing young people in Kenya could be solved through protests/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 29 – “Kenya will not develop through ceaseless politicking and protests,” was how Government Spokesman Eric Kiraithe slammed renewed nationwide anti-IEBC demos called by Opposition chief Raila Odinga.
Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, he questioned the real intention of the Opposition alliance and wondered how the biting challenges facing young people in Kenya could be solved through protests.
“Our achievements in terms of infrastructure and foreign investments in the last five years is evidence that we can achieve the status of a medium income fast-growing economy even before 2030 if we remain focused,” he said.
Kiraithe at the same time acknowledged that the growth Kenya has continued to experience stems from the sweat and hard work of the ordinary Kenyans who are doing their bit to build the nation.
“We are talking about peasant farmers in our villages, mama mbogas in marikiti who ensures your daily supply of fresh vegetables from Kisii, Rift Valley, and the much-maligned matatu drivers and their touts,” he said.
He also lamented that the country’s growth could have been much better were it not for the 2007/2008 post-election violence that interrupted the macro-economic growth of the country and also discouraged foreign investors.
He further warned that unrelenting retrogressive political chatter would prove disastrous for this country.
“Our weakness as a country has been undue attention to selfish political ambition which has periodically created uncertainty in our investment climate,” lamented Kiraithe.
He took a swipe at the NASA leader whom he accused of targeting patriotic corporate citizens following his sustained attacks against Safaricom.
Odinga had accused the company of colluding with OT-Morpho, a French-based company that provided results transmission infrastructure to rig elections in favour of the Jubilee Party’s candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta.
“The allegations that Safaricom was used to rig the August 8 presidential poll is most unfortunate not only because it is false in every material respect, but also known to be false by the makers,” Kiraithe clarified.
He urged the young people of Kenya to focus on productive activities that can change their situations. He lamented that some politicians are good at exploiting young people to achieve their selfish agenda while not helping them get out of their murky situations.
“Those people who purport to speak for the people of Kenya ought to know that Kenya won’t develop on empty rhetoric. The citizens of this country won’t get affordable quality health care, education or even eat unbridled political ambition,” Kiraithe concluded.
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