Interior CS Murkomen tell off Kalonzo, challenge him to sell better ideas to Kenyans

Political undertones dominated a greening event presided by Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen at Mukuru Kwa Reuben in Nairobi with the CS telling off Wiper Party Kalonzo Musyoka to come up with better ideas to sell to Kenyans.

CS Murkomen challenged  Kalonzo and other political leaders to sell their manifestos to the electorate if they had different ideas to what President Ruto’s government is promoting.

“As leaders, after election, do not say that the only big thing you will do is to remove people from office, so that you could occupy those offices. A government must exist to deliver based on its manifesto, and those who have alternative manifestos must sell their manifestos. It cannot be that your manifesto is to remove those in office, no!” he quipped.

He added, “We should not be a country where we start politicking about the next election, as soon as we are done with an election. Instead, we should start talking about jobs for the youth, our businesses, housing, and matters to do with environment.”

The CS said President Ruto has reiterated his willingness to work with all political leaders from all the political parties, region and tribes. “I am calling out all leaders to join us, so that we could work together as one. We are no longer a Kenya Kwanza government, but a broad-based government,” he said.

During his tour of the Climate Works project in the area, which was also attended by Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, the CS said that the State was considering further devolving recruitment exercises for the police and Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) to Sub-county level, starting with Nairobi County. This he said will be done after all constituencies in the capital are converted into Sub-counties.

“During recruitment of disciplined forces, it usually happens that all candidates in Nairobi are taken to Nyayo Stadium. We now know that not many of them can be recruited from that centre. But going forward, we are planning how to bring these recruitment exercises close to wananchi.”

“In Nairobi for example, we have 17 constituencies, but it has 11 sub-counties. In one or two-month time, we will add the sub-counties to 17, so that every constituency becomes a Sub-county with their own Deputy County Commissioner. This will ensure services come even closer to wananchi, including recruitment exercises for the disciplined forces,” said Murkomen.

He also challenged State officials that they should not wait for reports in offices about government programmes; rather, they should go to the ground and see for themselves what is happening there.

“One of President Ruto’s agenda is to make sure that people live dignified lives, and that’s why we demolished the shanties near the Gong River, so that those people who lived there should be upgraded to live in dignified houses. And that’s where President Ruto’s social housing programme comes in.”

He added that those living near all the rivers in Nairobi would be absorbed in their rehabilitation. Murkomen added that the current exercise would be expanded to absorb more people, increasing the number of those working in the programme from 20,000 to 50,000. The daily pay, which is currently at KSh500, would be increased as well.

Murkomen said rehabilitation of rivers would be replicated in all cities and major towns in Kenya, saying that such programmes would not just make sure that rivers are clean, but would also create job opportunities for youth and women.

He said, “As a government, we shall never marginalize people based on their political inclinations, tribe, religion, or regions they come from. Any elected government should be for all the people, so that development could be delivered and be felt by all.”

At the same occasion, Makadara MP George Aladwa insisted that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) through its “leader” Raila Odinga was firmly supporting Ruto through the Broad-based government.

“There are those who are saying otherwise, but our support as ODM remains with Ruto. I tell the president to consider absorbing many of our youth from Nairobi’s estates into police and KDF. And if you do that, the way will be smooth for you come 2027” said Aladwa who is also the Nairobi County Party Chairman.