‘No Uhuru Kenyatta insults’: Azimio demands ahead of Raila-Ruto presidential debate
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition has threatened to give the presidential debate a wide berth unless Ruto steers clear of ‘insulting’ President Kenyatta.
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition has given new conditions before its presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, can take part in next week’s presidential debate.
The coalition has said the platform should not be used to ‘insult’ President Uhuru Kenyatta and that issues of corruption and integrity need to be part of the debate for Mr Odinga to participate in it.
Allies of Mr Odinga are now asking him to consider skipping the debate if it will be 'sideshows' instead of discussions on what they have described as ‘important issues’ touching on the lives of Kenyans.
The Azimio team said if Deputy President William Ruto is interested in mudslinging the Head of State during the debate, then he should look for another platform to do so.
Speaking in Kitale, Trans Nzoia County on Friday, Azimio secretary general Junet Mohammed said if the debate will be about what Kenya Kwanza Alliance (KKA) running mate Rigathi Gachagua pushed during the deputy presidential candidates’ debate, then it would be ideal the former Prime Minister doesn't show up.
Mr Mohammed said Mr Odinga will only participate in the debate if it focuses on integrity, corruption and governance. Anything short of that, the ODM supremo will not turn up.
“Some people are saying that we have a debate between William Ruto and Baba (Mr Odinga), is that even possible? Baba will attend the debate, this is my personal opinion and not that of Baba, if three issues will be discussed: integrity, corruption and governance. If there is going to be other issues, we want to send Embakasi East MP Babu Owino to debate with William Ruto,” said Mr Mohammed.
“If we are going to discuss issues which are not important like we saw with Rigathi Gachagua, as Secretary General of Azimio, I will send Babu Owino to battle it out with William Ruto. Our competitors want to debate about President Uhuru Kenyatta, let them go and look for him and not drag him into the debate,” he added.
The Azimio camp’s demands come just a day after DP Ruto’s campaign secretariat team also issued a raft of demands to the Presidential Debates Secretariat.
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Azimio in Western
On the charm offensive of Trans Nzoia and Bungoma counties, which have a total of 1,045,579 registered votes, the former premier avoided commenting on the much anticipated debate, instead focusing on what his administration will do if he is elected Kenya’s fifth president.
With the region’s economic bloodline being agriculture - maize and sugar cane farming - Mr Odinga said his government will focus on arresting high cost of living by lowering the cost of farm inputs as well as providing market for cereal growers.
“We will reduce the cost of fertilizer to Sh2000 per 50-kilogram bag and we will not import maize from other countries until local maize is mopped up. We will purchase maize from our farmers first,” he said in Kitale.
Mr Odinga, who was accompanied by governors Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega), Wycliffe Wangamati (Bungoma), Sospeter Ojaamong (Busia), Defense Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, COTU secretary general Francis Atwoli, former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth and former UNCTAD secretary general Dr Mukhisa Kituyi, among other leaders, also underscored for the need for resources to the devolved units to be increased from the current 15 percent to 35 percent.
“This one is different. We are fighting corruption, illiteracy, disease and poverty,” he said, noting that he will also use Agriculture Development Corporation (ADC) to settle all squatters in Trans Nzoia.
In what seemed to be an attack to DP Ruto, Mr Odinga said his archrival in the August General Election is one of the people who were against reforms hence he does not have Kenyans interest at heart.
“Today, they [DP Ruto camp] are the ones who represent the forces of doom while we are representing the force of changes,” he said as he pleaded with the Luhya community to back his fifth presidential bid.
Corruption
Mr Kenneth said: “I want to tell Wafula Chebukati, this Venezuelan guy who was arrested with a briefcase full of election stickers, this is a rigging plot. He (Mr Chebukati) knows that Baba is winning this election and now, he is planning to rig him out. As far as we know, Smartmatics has no contract to print anything and why should election materials be ferried in briefcases?”
Mr Atwoli echoed Mr Mohammed's utterances saying that Mr Odinga showing up for the debate slated for Tuesday next week will be like a confirmation of Deputy President William Ruto's presidency contrary to what he has been saying about the latter not clinching the country's top seat.
“From 2014 I have been saying that Ruto will not be president of this country, therefore, Baba going to the debate sharing a platform with Ruto is like confirming that Ruto will be president which isn't the case. Do not go to the debate," said Mr Atwoli.
Dr Kituyi also reiterated that as long as DP Ruto will not be willing to talk about fighting against corruption, he should not turn up for the debate.
“Yesterday (Thursday), Ruto’s team said that for you to turn up for the presidential debate, you must accept the list of issues so that it is not about issues of corruption, governance. This war is a moral war, this election is about corruption, it is about the future of our children,” Dr Kituyi said.
“If they are afraid to be exposed about corruption, please do not give them the grace of being seen with you during the debate.”
During the presidential running mates debate between Mr Gachagua and Mr Odinga's running mate Martha Karua on July 19 night, the Mathira MP took no prisoners launching a scathing attack on the first family and Mr Kenyatta for instigating what he termed as "state capture."
Mr Gachagua took on President Kenyatta, who is also the Azimio coalition party council chairman, accusing him of propagating corruption and being the planner of the Raila-Karua "project".
“Through a gazette notice and by a single signature, two companies owned by the first family were exempted from paying Sh350 million. Money that can put up 35 level three hospitals in Kenya. That is chronic corruption. That’s conflict of interest and State capture. The real corruption that we need to deal with is State capture,” Mr Gachagua said.
Kenya Kwanza demands
Mr Odinga's lieutenants' push come just a day after DP Ruto's campaign secretariat, led by Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok, issued a raft of demands to the debate organizers.
They demanded that moderators of the debate confirm that questions will be centred on issues affecting Kenyans.
“We want the organisers to make public the questions for the candidates for Kenyans to know the kind of leaders they will be elected,” Director of Communication at Dr Ruto’s Secretariat, Hussein Mohamed, said.
