Ruto fronts Mt Kenya leaders to attack the President
Deputy President William Ruto’s allies have accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of failing the people of Mount Kenya, vowing to vote against Azimio La Umoja leader Raila Odinga in the August General Elections.
Speaking yesterday in Machakos and Makueni counties, a fast retort was issued by Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata stating that the President had ignored the thorny issues of youth unemployment, insecurity and the high cost of living.
“The speech should have addressed insecurity in Laikipia and Lamu. He should have addressed harassment of businesses by the Kenya Revenue Authority and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations. He should also have addressed the issues affecting coffee prices,” Kang’ata said.
He asked the President to retire from politics in peace, rather than battling with people in his own community.
Mathira Member of Parliament (MP) Rigathi Gachagua criticised the President for being unconcerned about the region’s concerns.
“It’s clear he’s not aware that the high cost of farm inputs has diminished returns in the agriculture sector. He is not aware of the biting poverty in the region. Many small and medium entrepreneurs are struggling. He’s reading a script that does not resonate with the ground,” he said.
Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah said the President had mismanaged the economy.
“At the Sagana meeting, President Kenyatta lied that his administration has improved agriculture. The truth is that agriculture has deteriorated under the leadership of Peter Munya. A 50-kilogramme bag of fertilizer used to cost Sh2, 500. Today, it’s retailing at Sh6, 000,” he said.
Nyandarua woman representative Faith Gitau said the President erred in criticizing the clergy over suspicions that they were receiving filthy money from Ruto.
“The church that prayed for our President when he had a criminal case at The Hague was good. It was also good when it marshalled votes for him. Yet, he now finds strength to tell off the clergy. God shall judge him,” she said, adding: “He must be undergoing immense pressure from quarters beyond his control.”
However, Kenyatta yesterday launched a bare-knuckle attack on Ruto, stating that he is unsuitable for Mt Kenya region.
In his hard-hitting address delivered in Gikuyu at Sagana the President painted Ruto as dishonest, criticized the performance of dockets under his oversight, such as Agriculture, as part of a power-sharing pact, and chastised him for early campaigns that have rattled his administration in the second term.
“The person I will hand power to and you all know him and you have been mentioning his name, will inherit a 13 trillion economy from me yet I inherited a 5 trillion economy from Kibaki. Then someone out there says I have done nothing. I cannot risk handing over to someone who will not take care of this economy and I am saying it here without fear. I will hand over to that person, the one that you all know,” Kenyatta said.
Kenyatta stated that he informed his deputy of the conversations with Odinga following the disputed 2017 presidential election up until the day they formally announced the truce on the steps of Harambee House in March 2018.
“Even before I went to Harambee House for the Handshake, Ruto was the last person I spoke to,” he said.
The President accused his deputy of duping farmers with his “hustler” campaign promises, despite the fact that farmers’ lives were damaged when the Agriculture ministry was under his supervision and that Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya was now attempting to clean up the wreckage.
