NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 25 – Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi has lashed out at Deputy President William Ruto accusing him of propagating what he described as an “archaic needless economic vision” through his bottom up approach model.
Matiangi told delegates attending the National Youth Conference in Limuru, Kiambu County that it was unfortunate that Kenyans are being treated to “lies and unrealistic issues.”
“Do not be carried away by all this empty sloganeering going on around. Our country is great and I keep on reminding Kenyans that we are better than this. Let us not be reduced to all this manner of things we are hearing about,” he said.
Matiangi’s remarks follows those of his ICT counterpart Joe Mucheru who also hit out at the DP, accusing him of him of hoodwinking Kenyans to elect him to office.
They both accuse Ruto of undermining his boss President Uhuru Kenyatta who this week asked Ruto to resign instead of criticising the government from within.
But Ruto has answered his boss back saying, “I have no space nor the time to retreat or surrender, I have an agenda for Kenya”.
With the President Kenyatta having broken his silence on the status of his relationship with his deputy, a section of members of the Executive have been emboldened by the move with Matiangi asking Kenyans to be weary of leaders who were out to peddle lies.
Matiangi in particular asked members of the clergy to “stand up for the Lord and for the country” in calling out truths.
Ruto has been using churches as his avenue for campaigns and constantly donating money in form of donations.
“Stand by the truth even if you are alone, call things by their name and let us move this country to the next level. So many things that we hear are not truthfully,” he said.
While asking the youths to be weary of leaders who thrive on empty rhetoric ahead of next year’s General Election, Matiangi stressed that Kenya’s problems needed pragmatic solutions.
“Our problems are not what I hear being described by people wallowing pages of international development jagon of the 80’s and 70’s clichés and so on. Our problems are very simple and straightforward and everyone knows them,” he said.
Endemic corruption and cartels in the country, according to Matiangi are some of the major problems facing the country and that these vices can only be dealt with if and when Kenyans elect a fair and transparent leader.
Ruto has however, stressed that he will not be deterred and re-affirmed that his ambition for the top job is clear.
“I am asking them to understand that I am a person on a mission, I cannot retreat nor surrender because we have decided that we are going to change the economy and we are going to have a bottom up economic experience in Kenya that is going to lift those who do not have jobs to have jobs so that together we can build a nation where no Kenya is left behind,” he said.
Kenyatta on Monday told Ruto that “The honourable thing to do is that if you not happy is to step aside and allow those who want to move on move and then take your agenda to the people which is what happens in any normal democracy because you cannot have your cake and eat it.”
Whereas President Kenyatta acknowledged that he had no issues with the ambitions of his deputy to succeed him, he expressed disappointment that Ruto had become utterly impatient.
“It is unfortunate the manner in which he is doing it by going against the same government that he is serving I think it is wrong,” he said.
Ruto’s opposition and criticism to the clamor for constitutional reforms in the country through the now botched Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) which was initiated by President Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has also fuelled their differences.