Deputy President William Ruto has condemned the formation of political coalitions in the country ahead of 2022 polls, saying they could endanger the country’s unity.
Hosting religious leaders from Tharaka Nithi County at his Karen residence in Nairobi, Ruto said alliances being built by his rivals ahead of next year’s presidential contest were signs of defeat.
He said the era of political groupings and endorsements are over calling on leaders to decline the temptation of retreating to ethnic political alliances.
“We must refuse to retreat to ethnic political alliances that will hurt our unity and development agenda. Rather, we should establish national parties founded on firm social and economic principles,” he said.
Terming them as ethnic political alliances, Ruto said that it will be detrimental to the country’s social fabric and development agenda.
He said the opposition’s failure to bring ideas that will lead to an economic revolution in Kenya will be their undoing in the 2022 contest.
“We should establish parties founded on firm social and economic principles towards political stability of our country.”
Present during the meeting were MPs George Murugara (Tharaka), Patrick Munene (Chuka/Igembe Ng’ombe), Beatrice Nkatha (Woman Rep, Tharaka Nithi), Gathoni Wa Muchomba (Woman Rep, Kiambu) and Kimani Ichung’wah of Kikuyu.
His sentiments came after President Uhuru Kenyatta led Jubilee Party National Management Committee (NMC) granted the party Secretariat permission to formally engage Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) on a pre-election coalition arrangement.
In a astatement, the party said the decision sprang from an already existing good collaboration between the ruling party and ODM leader Raila Odinga on matters of National interest.
The NMC met the Parliamentary leadership today morning for consultations, after which it granted permission to the party secretariat to engage ODM.
“It is noteworthy that in the last four years, while ODM has carried its mandate as
official minority Party in both the Senate and the National Assembly, it has remained a reliable ally to Jubilee Party in the passage of all critical bills that are important for the good governance of our country,” read part of the statement.
Meanwhile, Chama Cha Kazi party leader Moses Kuria, Martha Karua of Narc Kenya and Mwangi Kiunjuri of The Service Party met in Thika Kiambu County to deliberate on the next year’s polls in the latest attempt to consolidate a coalition.
Additionally, National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana and the former United Nation Conference and Trade Development Secretary General Mukhisa Kituyi are in talks of forming an alliance.