A video of Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja mocking President William Ruto’s bottom-up agenda has resurfaced exposing him to the ridicule of netizens.
In the video originally posted on August 1, 2021, Sakaja calls out Ruto for lying to Kenyans especially small businesses and those in the informal sector by promising them money.
Further, Sakaja, then senator, does a quick math to show how unrealistic and impossible it was to give Kenyans money as promised in the ‘Bottom-Up Agenda.’
“You are being deceived with the bottom-up narrative. If you do the math, it is not possible to give each business money.
“It is all a lie to give those in the informal sector like the Jua Kali, hawkers and artisans money. The whole country has 20 million people, if you are to give them each Ksh1,000, it will amount to Ksh2 trillion,” Sakaja stated.
At the same time, Sakaja questions why Ruto, then the deputy president, was waiting to be elected as president to put into action his promises instead of actualizing them using his positions of power.
“Even if we are poor, we are not stupid. And if you are able to execute that why wait until you are voted into power?
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“Over nine years and you have just realized that there are poor people in the country. That is using the poor for personal gain,” he added.
Sakaja Issues Demands to the Government and Ruto in Video
Instead of implementing the ‘Bottom-Up Agenda,’ Sakaja asked Ruto and the government to focus on improving the lives of Kenyans by increasing the County Development Fund (CDF).
In addition, he asked the government to lower the cost of basic commodities like fuel and cooking gas, lamenting that the prices of those commodities had increased.
He also added that life had become unbearable for Kenyans and the only way to save them from the pain was to reduce taxes and end corruption.
“We have suffered for a long time, the price of fuel has increased, the price of gas has increased by Ksh350. The government is taking from Kenyans on every sector.
“We want the government of Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula to reduce the tax a little bit. We want them to stop corruption and reduce the budget so that Kenyans can have money in their pockets,” demanded the then Senator.
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How Sakaja Joined Ruto and UDA
In April 2022, Sakaja announced joining the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) decamping from the Jubilee party.
He was elected governor in the August 2022 elections under a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party ticket and the support of President William Ruto.
Sakaja beat his closest rival Polycarp Igathe, who vied on an Azimio ticket.
At the same time, Sakaja pledged to commit to fulfilling his campaign pledges to the people of Nairobi. He also promised to support President William Ruto and his agenda for the people of Kenya.
