NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 2 – President Uhuru Kenyatta says he “has no problem with people hustling” but “it must be a step towards something that is greater.”
His deputy William Ruto whom he has since parted ways with has been campaigning on the platform of empowering the hustlers and their hustles if elected President.
“Let us be focused. Let us build a brighter, better Kenya for each and every citizen so that we can all say that we are all proud to be citizens of a country where we all share equally in its wealth and heritage,” President Kenyatta said while on a tour of Kisumu on Tuesday.
It was during the launch of the MV Uhuru ship that the President revealed that he was impressed by the story of a young entrepreneur, who has transitioned to the textile industry from the mtumba business.
“When you want to limit yourself to thinking that everybody else is bad and promoting a culture and a way of thinking that does not encourage I think you are taking this country down the wrong lane,” he said.
President Kenyatta has on numerous occasions taken issue with the hustler agenda propagated by his deputy whom he accuses of whipping up emotions without providing tangible solutions to Kenya’s problems.
“A wealthy nation is not determined is not determined by how many wealthy people are there but by how wealth you create as a nation, how many jobs you create as a nation, and how many young people you have employed,” he said.
The acrimonious fallout between President Kenyatta and his deputy continues to play out in the public with the Head of State revealing that he will soon make a public announcement.
Ruto was originally poised to succeed his boss, President Kenyatta, as the ruling party’s candidate for the top job.
But a shock alliance between President Kenyatta and his longtime rival Raila Odinga, has relegated the deputy president to the sidelines.
Recent elections have frequently been followed by violent clashes and allegations of rigging.
The 2017 poll saw Odinga approach the Supreme Court, which annulled the result and ordered a re-run — a first for Africa.
The disputed 2007 vote was marked by an eruption of politically-motivated ethnic violence, leaving more than 1,100 people dead.
Kenyatta and Ruto were indicted by the International Criminal Court for their role in the 2007-2008 killings before the cases collapsed.
Both the leading candidates have vowed to accept next month’s result, with Odinga committing that, “If we lose the elections fairly, we will accept the outcome and congratulate the winner.”
For his part, Ruto said he would willingly cooperate with his rival Odinga if he were to win.
