Boost for DP Ruto as CAS Ababu Namwamba joins his campaign in Busia

Foreign Affairs Chief Administrative Secretary Ababu Namwamba today joined Deputy President William Ruto’s campaign in Busia County as allied MPs took a break to debate the Political Parties Amendment Bill.

Dr Ruto cut a lonely figure as he addressed campaign rallies in rural markets in Busia, a region considered a stronghold for ODM leader Raila Odinga, as he sought to promote his presidential bid in the August 9 General Election.

Mr Namwamba, who joined Dr Ruto for the first time on the campaign trail, made a passionate plea to residents of Busia County to abandon ODM and back the Deputy President if they expected to be part of the next government.

“We have been supporting ODM for many years but ended up with wrong leaders. That is why Busia has lagged behind in terms of development. It is now high time for us to switch our loyalty to Dr Ruto and the UDA Party," Mr Namwamba said.

The former Budalangi MP said communities had received a raw deal from ODM despite supporting Mr Odinga and electing leaders on the party’s ticket.

Dr Ruto pledged that, if elected, he would allocate Sh100 billion to revive and promote manufacturing, housing and agribusiness to create jobs.

He said his administration will allocate an additional Sh50 billion to be advanced as loans to small-scale traders, young people and women to empower them economically.

Another Sh50 billion will go into the agricultural sector to spur economic growth and improve livelihoods.

“We had planned to undertake these programmes under the Big Four development agenda but our plans were disrupted by the handshake that brought in place the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) and reggae and scuttled our development agenda,” said Dr Ruto.

Access affordable inputs

The DP said that 80 per cent of businesses in Kenya are small and micro enterprises and his government will allocate money in the budget and advance loans to the traders who operate them.

He said four million youths have completed their studies and attained degrees, diplomas and certificates but remained jobless.

“We shall give loans with very minimal interest to small-scale traders and the youth who have been blacklisted on CRB after they failed to clear their loans from Fuliza and other lending institutions including shylocks,” he said.

“Our intention is to make Kenya a society that has equality and not the way it is where a majority of the citizens rely on handouts for their survival."

He promised to reduce the price of fertilizer so that farmers can access affordable inputs.

“From next year, I will ensure the price of fertiliser goes down to Sh2,000 so that it’s affordable to all farmers to improve production and food security,” he said.

Dr Ruto said the trickle-down economic model had been exploited by the rich and influential individuals to make billions of shillings at the expense of the poor.

The DP held his first rally at Changara in Teso North sub-county before moving to Musokoto in Nambale and Adungosi in Teso South.

He met his supporters at Bulanda in Matayos sub-county, Murumba in Butula before he went to Bukiri in Funyula and wrapped up his tour of the county at the Budalangi market.

Ruto appealed to voters in Busia to join his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party and vote in a six-piece pattern for UDA candidates to give the numbers he will need to serve effectively as President.

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