Kivutha Kibwana join Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza team
The outgoing Makueni governor has agreed to work with President-elect William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza team.
Kivutha Kibwana has also joined the coalition’s legal team in the ongoing presidential petition at the Supreme Court of Kenya.
Through his Twitter account, Ruto thanked Kibwana for agreeing to collaborate with him and his coalition on advancing the nation’s development agenda and to defend his legitimacy as the winner of the August 9th election.
“At the Karen residence, I welcomed Governor Kibwana to Kenya Kwanza accompanied by other leaders,” Ruto stated.
“We associate with the leadership that Prof. Governor Kibwana has manifested in agreeing to work with us in furthering our country’s development agenda. The Makueni governor will join the Kenya Kwanza legal team in the ongoing presidential election petition,” read Ruto’s post.
Ruto promised to continue with his raid-spree of recruiting members and critical leaders from other parties in an effort to increase his party’s representation in the bicameral parliament, and aid in the passage of crucial laws that will aid in fulfilling the alliance’s manifesto promises.
In a speech to Kenya Kwanza cliques on Saturday, Ruto reaffirmed that he had enlisted UDM members and independent MPs to support him in order to get support and implement legislation that would enable him to carry out his campaign pledges.
According to the president-elect, he is aware of the crucial numbers in the National Assembly that are required for the MPs to adopt laws that will enable funding for initiatives like the Hustler Fund, which he promised Kenyans throughout his campaigns.
He also stated that he has a comprehensive legislative agenda and is seeking influence to advance it in the National Assembly.
“Many people are wondering why we are consolidating our place in the National Assembly and the Senate, but you need to understand we have a huge responsibility ahead of us. We need a lot of policy decisions to be made and legislative interventions to be made and we need the team that will help us deliver on the pledges we made to the people of Kenya,” Ruto stated.
The move has been opposed by Raila Odinga’s Presidential Campaign Secretariat spokesperson Makau Mutua and Registrar of Political Parties’ chairperson Ann Nderitu.
They have accused Ruto of plotting to return the nation to the dictatorial KANU days, where Kenya was a one-party state.
Nderitu labelled the move unconstitutional stating that those involved should follow the proper procedure, respectively.
“Azimio One Kenya alliance had formally invoked the process of leaving the coalition, hence any purported defections were null and void, and politicians seeking to shift allegiance to other coalitions will have to terminate their original pacts resign from the parties that sponsored them to win elective seats and it’s a process,” stated Makau.
