Deputy President William Ruto has escalated his attack on the Jubilee and ODM coalition, whose 2022 blueprint is in the works.
Speaking at the consecration of Bishop Dr David Macharia into the office of General Overseer of the Full Gospel Churches of Kenya in Nakuru County on Friday, the deputy president claimed those pushing for constitutional amendments through the BBI were attempting to push selfish political agendas through non-existent issues.
The second-in-command insisted that there is nothing wrong with the Kenyan constitution that needs to be changed, instead emphasizing the importance of policies that empower small business owners and the unemployed.
“Tuko na amani Kenya, hatuwezi kubali kutawanywa, ati tuwekewe visingizio,” DP Ruto said “Serikali tutakayounda mwaka ujao, tutaanzia pale chini, hapo ndio tutaweka pesa ndio tuinue maskini.”
According to DP Ruto, Kenyan needs a policies’ change to ensure low-income Kenyans who make the largest chunk of the populace are empowered by the government through the bottom-up economic model.
“Kuna wale watataka kutudanganya, ati tubadilishe katiba tuongeze cheo, ati wananchi wataka vyeo, nataka niwaambie hivi, wajinga waliisha Kenya,” DP Ruto said.
During his address, he mocked the looming union of the two largest political parties, calling their alliance a selfish political agenda and accusing some entities of attempting to take the ruling party through unnecessary ‘kitendawili politics.’
For context, Raila Odinga, the leader of the ODM- and DP Ruto’s fiercest political rival- has mastered the art of stirring up crowds by conveying political messages through clever word play over the years by beginning his speeches with ‘Kitendawili’
The DP vowed to steer clear of any dealings that would see the ruling party join hands with the former opposition party.
“Ati wasema Tupeleke Jubilee kwa kitendawili, mko na masaa ya kufunza kitendawili, hawa mahustler wako na masaa ya kufunzwa kitendawili? Ruto posed
His loyalists at the consecration sang the same tune, with Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika lauding the courts for halting plans to amend the constitution.
The smooth leadership transition witnessed within the Full Gospel church, according to Senator Kihika, was a lesson for Kenyan leaders to learn from.
“You could have said, as the outgoing general overseer, that you are too young to retire, that you are not ready to return to the Eastern region, but instead, we have seen a very smooth transition,” Senator Kihika said.
Another DP ally and Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri read malice into the IEBC’s claim that budget constraints were likely to threaten the possibility of the 2022 polls.
According to MP Ngunjiri, the government should halt some projects if need be and focus the funds on the polls in order to ensure a smooth transition.
