Deputy President William Ruto yesterday pledged to prioritise the provision of clean water to Ukambani, as a means of unlocking the region’s economic potential if he clinches the presidency next month.
Dr Ruto who intensified campaigns in Ukambani with a series of campaign rallies in Kitui and Makueni counties said he’ll ensure sufficient water is made available to farmers for irrigating more than 5.5 million acres of arable land in Ukambani.
“Water is the driver of the Bottom-Up Economic Model and we’ll make sure it is available in Ukambani to free the region from perennial food challenges” he said at Chuluni market in Kitui East.
The DP urged voters to elect UDA party candidates as he defended his economic blueprint targeting to promote investments of ordinary Kenyans and empowering them financially saying it will generate more taxes thus spurring economic growth.
“One we empower more businesses to grow and create jobs, we’ll automatically widen the tax bracket and have resources to undertake more development projects in every corner of the country” said Dr Ruto.
He explained that more jobs and more thriving businesses mean more taxes and a thriving economy where each Kenyan will enjoy the full benefits of a liberalised market.
Responding to critics of his “hustler's economic model”, a philosophy that is the cornerstone of his 2022 presidential campaigns, Dr Ruto said those promoting the trickle-down approach grew up in privilege and had not tasted vagaries of poverty,
‘’My competitor and those surrounding him have never slept hungry or walked bare feet to school. They cannot understand the pain of high food prices every Kenyan is experiencing now’’ said the DP.
He addressed rallies in Kisasi in Kitui Rural, Katulani in Kitui central, Chuluni market in Kitui East, and Mutonguni in Kitui West, before proceeding to Makueni County.
The DP said Kenyans were heavily burdened by spiraling unemployment and high cost of living and were more concerned with getting leadership that will revive the economy not prioritising constitutional reforms.
He blamed the unemployment crisis and economic hardships to the alleged derailment of President Kenyatta’s Big Four Agenda whose two main pillars – Food security and Housing, were to create jobs and consequently address other social challenges like crime, depression among the youth and drug abuse.
“Had we not deviated from our original agenda of growing the economy, the housing program and agriculture-related projects would have absorbed many jobless youths by now, but as I’ve said before, I’ll revive the Big Four Agenda next year” said Dr Ruto.
At the same time, the DP poured cold water on the planned reduction in the price of maize floor saying the move will not help Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party presidential candidate Raila Odinga to win next month’s General Election.
The DP sustained the narrative that the 2018 truce between Mr Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta is to blame for the high cost of living experienced in the country and dismissed as a band-aid the plan to sell a 2-kilogram packet of maize flour at Sh 100 for a limited period.
“Yesterday you heard they are planning to lower the cost of maize flour until you vote. Isn’t that contemptuous? The reason we have hunger in Kenya today is that we failed to implement the Big 4 Plan that had food security. We removed the fertilizer subsidy from our farmers. That is why farmers cannot produce enough food. You cannot cure that problem by giving simple handouts of food for 20 days,” he said at Tulia Township in Kitui County.
“Let them bring the maize flour going for Sh 100 a packet. They can even offer us maize flour for free but we are saying on August 9 we shall send those people home so that they stop being contemptuous and toying around with food security,” he added as he pledged to revamp the economy should he succeed President Kenyatta after next month’s polls.
“When we fail to support our farmers their production falls triggering food shortage and subsequent high cost of living. As the Kenya Kenya Alliance, we shall start restoring the economy by reducing the cost of living by empowering farmers. We shall reduce to Sh 2000 the fertilizer which is currently retailing at Sh 7000. We are also planning to distribute hybrid seeds to farmers and construct dams to avail water so that farmers can increase their productivity and put money in their pockets,” he said. To address youth unemployment which he termed a ticking time bomb. The DP pledged to revitalize the Big 4 Plan which places agriculture and manufacturing at the centre of job creation. He also pledged to spur entrepreneurship by availing affordable credit ring-fenced for small-scale traders.
The DP spoke while popularizing his presidential bid in Kitui and Machakos counties. He was accompanied by Machakos governor Alfred Mutua, a host of his allies in the region and beyond, and local United Democratic Alliance candidates for various seats. They addressed roadside rallies at Kisasi, Kwa Kinyai, Tulia, and Katulani townships in Kitui County as well as Masinga, Matuu, Kola and Githunguri townships in Machakos County. Dr Ruto's allies rallied the Kamba community behind Dr Ruto who they said was poised to be the next president. They said the community should shun Mr Odinga “as he stands little chance of beating Dr Ruto”.
At Masinga Township, Dr Ruto appealed to the Kamba community to reject Mr Odinga’s bid, saying the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader had no development track record to show in the region for the years he was the Prime Minister. He also accused Mr Odinga of being preoccupied with amending sections of the constitution to accommodate his allies rather than restoring the economy to make life bearable. At the same time, Dr Ruto sensationally accused Mr Odinga of taking Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka round in circles. He pledged to accommodate the former vice president if he becomes the president. “I know Kalonzo does not like me but I am ready to help him,” he said. Dr Mutua called on Mr Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua to drop their bid “because they are old”.
At Kisasi where he was hosted by his UDA candidate former MP Charles Nyamai, Dr Ruto told the Kamba community that Mr Odinga had duped their son Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka by reneging on their 2013 and 2017 agreements and turning around to coerce him to support him for the third time.
“If there’s a region that should say no to that old man it is Ukambani because he has failed to reciprocate all the support you’ve given him over the past elections,” he said.
Mr Nyamai urged Kambas to seize the opportunity presented by this year’s election to determine the direction the country should take by voting in Kenya Kwanza coalition to form a government that understands the pressures of the high cost of living.
The former MP said previous economic policies failed because they aided patronage and cronyism that bred cartels and monopolies to benefit only a few people who are well connected to those in power.
"Let us unite and elect a government that will uplift our businesses, create jobs and supports our farmers," said Mr Nyamai.
“We’re happy and encouraged that the political ground has shifted beneath those who have been taking our voters for granted,” Mr Nyamai said.
With estimated 1.7 million votes, Ukambani region which voted overwhelmingly for Mr Odinga and his running mate Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka is emerging as a political battleground with all candidates leaving nothing to chance in claiming a piece of the voting bloc.
