Ruto: I tried to save Kalonzo from his misery but he is beyond salvation
President William Ruto enjoys a light moment with Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti at Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos town yesterday.
Wiper Democratic Movement party leader Kalonzo Musyoka would have become either the Speaker of the National Assembly or Foreign Affairs cabinet secretary had he agreed to work with the Kenya Kwanza administration after the last year’s elections.
President William Ruto and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua yesterday told an interdenominational prayer meeting in Machakos Town that their concerted efforts to woo Mr Musyoka and his lieutenants did not bear fruit.
“When I won the election, as I promised you during the campaigns, I reached out to my friend Kalonzo. I sat with him and told him ‘my friend you know I have won the presidential race, come we form the government. We have the Speaker of the National Assembly and another position. Rally Kambas we forge ahead,” President Ruto said.
Mr Musyoka, however, turned President Ruto down.
Mr Gachagua said the Kenya Kwanza administration had reserved the Foreign Affairs docket for Mr Musyoka.
“We have given the Foreign Affairs cabinet secretary position to Alfred Mutua. You know the position was previously held by Mr Musyoka and he would still have gotten it if he had joined the government,” Mr Gachagua said.
The Head of State, however, revealed that he had not given up on the Kamba community and was working with some of its other leaders.
“Although he [Mr Musyoka] has turned down my overture, I have said that I cannot agree to stay without the Kamba community in my government. That is why today we have three cabinet secretaries and three principal secretaries from Ukambani,” President Ruto said.
The Head of State intensified efforts to woo the Kamba community, which voted overwhelmingly for Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party leader Raila Odinga in the presidential election last year.
Dr Ruto pledged to fulfil all the promises he made to the region during the campaigns and asked the Church to pray for the Wiper leader to ditch Azimio and support his administration. Mr Gachagua thanked the Kamba community for shunning the demonstrations called by Mr Odinga, saying, it was pointless to protest in a bid to push the government to address the high cost of living.
Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti earned praise from President William Ruto and Mr Gachagua for calling on Mr Odinga to play his role of checking the government as the opposition leader as she pledged to work with the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“If the opposition had played its role in the previous regime we would not have gotten where we are in terms of the high cost of living. Everyone should keep to their lane,” she said.
The President hailed the first-term county boss, who was elected on a Wiper ticket, as a brave and decisive leader.
“As a community, we have decided to rally behind President Ruto for the sake of development in the region. We have languished in the opposition for ten years. We cannot afford to stay in the cold any longer. We want to do away with tribal politics because it is our biggest undoing,” former Kitui senator David Musila said.
President Ruto pledged to complete stalled roads and water projects and initiate new ones in Kitui, Machakos and Makueni counties. He also pledged to fast-track completion of the Konza Technology City, which is coming up on the border of Machakos and Makueni counties.
Clerics urge politicians in the area to shun Azimio and rally behind President Ruto so that the region can benefit from development projects.
“To secure development for this region we have to end supremacy battles and speak with one voice,” said Mr Timothy Ndambuki, the head of African Brotherhood Church.
