Parties Bill benefits Raila Odinga, says William Ruto
Deputy President William Ruto addresses a rally at Kitalale in Trans Nzoia County yesterday.
Deputy President William Ruto yesterday maintained that his camp will fight the parties Bill to the end.
He argued that the section on the registration of coalition political parties is designed to help ODM leader Raila Odinga in the presidential race.
The DP’s declaration raises the stakes ahead of three-day special sittings of the National Assembly that begins tomorrow to consider the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which his side seeks to sabotage.
Speaking in Trans Nzoia County where he took his presidential campaigns, the DP told lawmakers that the contentious Bill is not important and they should not fall into the trap of people he called “political con men”.
“MPs should not be disturbed by passing that Bill by people who cannot be trusted, dishonest characters who pose as leaders, which is the only problem we have in this country. Let them not disturb us with that law, we want to form a government of trusted people,” he said.
“If you call yourself a leader, you are well-known for short-changing your colleagues politically. You have short-changed many leaders to the point that you have short-changed everyone and currently, a Bill is prepared for you so as not to short-change your colleagues again, that will not change, hence the electorate should not trust him,” he added.
The DP, who is popularising his United Democratic Alliance, says shortening the time for coalition-making is designed to coerce One Kenya Alliance leaders to expose their political strategy by February. The law currently says a pre-election coalition deal be deposited to the Registrar of Political Parties three months before a general election.
Yesterday, Dr Ruto scolded their opponents for bragging about their numerical strength in the National Assembly, saying his team now has over 138 MPs who are ready to deal with them.
“Just the other day in Parliament, we had 138 MPs and if we add to senators, we have 160 and there is no other political party that has such numbers and it is the only one that unites Kenyans,” said the DP.
He was accompanied by members of the National Assembly Rigathi Gachagua (Mathira), Caleb Kositany (Soy), Robert Pukose (Endebes), Didmus Barasa (Kimilili), Mwambu Mabonga (Bumula), John Waluke (Sirisia), Janet Nangabo (Trans Nzoia), Kimani Ngunjiri (Bahati) and Samuel Moroto (Kapenguria, as well as senators Aaron Cheruiyot (Kericho) and Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo Marakwet).
Mr Murkomen said that, like the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), the Bill will flop, adding that a window should not be created for individuals to perpetrate political deceit. “He has conned his former National Super Alliance (Nasa) colleagues and now he would like to use the law to coerce them. A dishonest person cannot change.”
Mr Mabonga said they are determined to frustrate the Bill even as he warned against ethnic politics.
