Deputy President William Ruto has accused opposition leaders of holding the country hostage.
Speaking in Naivasha, Nakuru county, as he winded up a two-day session with leaders drawn from four counties in Western Kenya, Ruto said those seeking to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta next year lack agenda for the country.
“For years the country has been held hostage by personality cult, and it’s now time to liberate Kenyans from this bondage,” he said.
He said time was ripe for Kenyans to stop voting for personalities and instead look at their agenda.
Ruto said that the way forward is to liberate the country from politics of personality to politics based on issues.
He noted that the biggest challenge currently facing the country was the harsh economic times and rising debts.
He attributed this to the mismanagement of the economy noting that the ongoing charm-offensive targeting leaders were part of addressing the challenges.
“For years the country has been held hostage by personality’s cult and it’s time to liberate Kenyans from this bondage,” he said.
On the rising debt, Ruto said that the way forward in addressing the debts was not postponing paying it but expanding the tax base.
“If we employ more youths and give traders a conducive working environment then we shall increase our tax collection and improve the infrastructure as we pay our loans,” he said.
Ruto noted that Kenyans were united adding that the only challenge that they were currently facing was the harsh economic times.
“Kenyans regardless of their background are united and the only challenges they are facing is unemployment, the rising cost of living and the debt burden,” he said.
He said that Western region had high potential that was yet to be fully tapped and pointed to the edible oil sector.
He said that his economic team could continue to engage leaders from all parts of the country with a view of coming up with a blueprint before the next general elections.
“Many have been criticizing our bottom-up economic plan and this is a healthy discussion where even our competitors have recognized it,” he said.
Mumias East MP Benjamin Washiali who led the delegation noted that various challenges that had affected Busia, Bungoma, Vihiga and Kakamega counties had been raised.
According to him, they had talked about the sugar, cotton, milk, fishing sectors among others and come up with ways of resolving them.
“We have held a productive meeting with the DP where we met his economic technical team and sort ways of resolving challenges facing us,” he said.
On his part, the Secretary-General of Kenya Union of Nurses Seith Panyako noted that civil society was firmly behind the bottom-up model of economics.
“For years the country’s workers have been oppressed by political formation but we have hope under the hustlers umbrella,” he said.
Technology Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru yesterday lashed out at Ruto for celebrating the fall of Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) fall.
Without mentioning the DP directly, Mucheru said some leaders fervently thanked God the Father for the adverse court ruling missing the bigger picture.
“They missed the bigger picture because the whole issue was politicised and anchored as a power hunt rather than a noble development initiative that would devolve more funds to the people,” he said.
However, Ruto responded to him, welcoming such criticism, adding that such critics are running out of alternative conversations at the moment.
“We believe that criticism is not entirely a bad thing. At least they are recognising that we are having a conversation that is good enough, and they are also appreciating that this is the only conversation in Kenya today. They do not have an alternative conversation,” Ruto said.
