VOI, Kenya, Oct 14 – Deputy President William Ruto has urged Kenyans to stop ethnic-based groupings and embrace political parties with national outlook.
He said Kenyans should elect leaders with admirable development track records and who have the country’s interest at heart.
The Deputy President said it is only the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) among the current crop of political parties that has a national outlook and clear agenda for the country.
“Do not allow to be misled to support political parties with tribal groupings and which have no development agenda for the country,” said Dr Ruto.
The Deputy President made the remarks today during an empowerment programme for residents of Wundanyi, Mwatate and Voi in Taita Taveta County.
He later supported small-scale traders in Matuga, Kwale County.
Present were MPs Lydia Haika (Taita Taveta), Benjamin Tayari (Kinango), Aisha Jumwa (Malindi), Khatib Mwashetani (Lunga Lunga), Kwale County Deputy Governor Fatuma Achani and former Governor John Mruttu.
At the same time, Dr Ruto, said it’s time leaders discouraged politics of conmanship.
The Deputy President said when he supported former Prime minister Raila Odinga in 2007 and President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2002, 2013 and 2017, he was a good man’.
Dr Ruto said he was now surprised that the same people who used to praise him when he supported them have ganged up against him.
“When I supported Raila Odinga to become Prime minister and later my friend Uhuru Kenyatta to become President, I was a good man. But now that I want to help hustlers, I have suddenly turned out to be a bad man,” said Dr Ruto.
The Deputy President said the hustler movement that was now popular among Kenyans has created panic, forcing some leaders to form tribal groupings with the intention of fighting him ahead of 2022.
Dr Ruto said the hustler movement aims to change the country’s economic model from grassroots as opposed to the current up-downwards benefitting few individuals.
He said that the country’s priority was not change of the Constitution but addressing unemployment among the youth as well as economic empowerment of small scale traders.
“2022 competition will be about those pushing for the change of Constitution to create positions for few individuals and us who want to change the economic model to economically empower millions of Kenyans,” he said.
Mruttu said the economic model that is being proposed by UDA would transform the lives of ordinary citizens.
“I am associating myself with this party because it’s committed to addressing challenges facing ordinary Kenyans,” he said.
Haika said it’s only UDA that has won the hearts of majority of Kenyans because of its agenda and development track records among its leaders.
She urged the Ministry of Education to compel teachers not to send home students because of lack of school fees, saying the country was witnessing hard economic times.
