KISUMU, Kenya, Nov 10 – Deputy President William Ruto commended his archrival in the 2022 presidential election for running a national political party despite the domination of Kenya’s political landscape by tribal outfits.
In remarks during an interview with local radio journalists on Wednesday, Ruto said Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga had strived to run the party born out of the national ‘No’ campaign in the 2005 referendum during which the two leaders worked together.
“I must applaud Raila for the national outlook party he has run for the past many years,” he said.
Ruto spoke ahead of a visit to Kisumu’s Kondele area where Odinga enjoys a fanatical following.
He defended his decision to form the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) following escalation of wrangled within the governing Jubilee Party formed in 2017 following a merger of several party’s including his United Republican Party and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s The National Alliance.
Ruto, who was at the centre of a campaign to fold allied parties in 2017 to craft a joint outfit, maintain his call for the merger of smaller parties to form national political movements.
He said smaller parties must disband for the sake of unity.
Ruto claimed other candidates eying the presidency in 2022 were running village outfit parties.
“How can you be a presidential candidate with a village party,” he asked.
Ruto said the country will only achieve inclusivity “if we have bigger parties.”
The DP said the proponents of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) constitutional review process co-led by President Kenyatta and Odinga were pushing for inclusivity which he said was aimed at creating few positions for individuals.
“Those selling the idea that inclusivity can be achieved through creating many positions in the goverment is misleading Kenyans and will institutionalize exclusivity,” he said.
He said the UDA party will retain a national outlook.
“I want to encourage my competitors who are running village political parties to disband them and form bigger parties,” he said.
Ruto also said he is ready to accept results of the 2022 presidential election if defeated.
“After all, it is my competitors who have a history of not accepting defeat, I don’t have problems accepting the defeat,” he said.
He took the journalists through what his administration portends for Nyanza region noting that Jubilee goverment has done its part in enhancing service delivery to the people of Nyanza.
“When we took over power in 2013, around 42,000 households in Kisumu were connected to power, now the number is 242,000,” he said.
He announced that plans are underway to build to bitumen standards a ring road around Lake Victoria.
“I am in talks with development partners to see the ring road from Busia all the way to Migori tarmacked,” he said.
The ring road, he said, will open up the lake region and spur growth in the fishing sector.
Fishermen have all along complained of poor roads leaving to post harvest of fish stocks as it takes long to reach the market.
Ruto said his administration will ensure funds are channeled to sectors with a multiplying effect on employment singling out agriculture as one such sector.
“The danger we have as a nation is lack of employment which I must address by injecting funds to priority areas like agriculture,” he said.
He announced that he will inject Sh100 billion into the food processing, agriculture and housing sectors as a start-up to address unemployment.
