Presidential hopeful and Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Justin Muturi, took his campaign to the South Rift region where he urged voters to back him for the top seat in 2022.
Speaking in Bomet County on Thursday, Mr Muturi said he is prepared to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta as the fifth Head of State.
“I have a wealth of experience as a lawyer, a former Member of Parliament and Speaker of the National Assembly for two terms which has exposed me to management of national politics,” he said in an address at the Bomet County Assembly where he opened a mini-chamber.
It is the first time the Speaker is making political forays into the vast, vote-rich Rift Valley region as a presidential candidate. The region is also the backyard of Deputy President William Ruto, who is widely seen as one of the frontrunners ahead of the August 9, 2022 polls.
Just this week, he announced that he had accepted the Democratic Party's (DP) invitation to be its presidential flagbearer.
In Bomet, he said participating in the constitutional amendment process that led to the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution had greatly helped him navigate the labyrinth of laws in the House the last nine years.
"The most outstanding experience for me is serving as the seventh Speaker of the National Assembly since independence having taken over from Mr Kenneth Marende,” said Mr Muturi.
Mr Muturi also backed a High Court ruling on education qualifications for those seeking election as Members of County Assemblies (MCAs), saying no one should be discriminated against in a democratic society.
Debate has been raging as to whether the rule on diploma qualification for those seeking to be MCAs and a degree for those running for MP will be applied in the next general election.
“While the question will be with us for a long time, the decision should be left to the conscience of voters. I firmly believe that the matter has been put to rest by the courts,” he said.
The Speaker was in Bomet to officially open a Sh60 million mini-chamber that has been named after late Governor Dr Joyce Laboso. It will be in use until the main chamber, which is under construction, is completed.
Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok, Bomet Speaker Nelson Mutai and Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi unveil the plaque during the official opening of the Bomet County Assembly mini-chambers on October 28, 2021.
Photo credit: Ondari Ogega | Nation Media Group
