William Ruto mocks Raila Odinga as he woos Ukambani
Deputy President William Ruto addresses residents at Mtito Andei in Kibwezi East, Makueni County.
Deputy President William Ruto yesterday took his “hustler nation” campaign to Makueni County, where he asked the Kamba community to shun ODM leader Raila Odinga's presidential candidacy.
This is the second time in one month Dr Ruto has been to the region to woo its voters. Ukambani voted overwhelmingly for Mr Odinga in the 2012 and 2017 General Elections. He implored the community to join the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
"My mission here is to ask you to join us as we form the next government. You have supported the man of riddles for a long time already and you have nothing to show for it," Dr Ruto said in reference to Mr Odinga.
Speaking in Kyanginywa village, he poured cold water on the ODM leader's plan to cushion jobless people from economic hardships, describing Mr Odinga's Sh6,000 monthly cash transfer pledge as unrealistic.
He was addressing a grassroots leaders’ meeting at the rural home of Mr James Mbaluka, the coordinator of UDA campaigns in Makueni.
Although Kitui, Machakos and Makueni counties had voted overwhelmingly for Mr Odinga in the 2017 polls, Dr Ruto said, the ODM leader had overlooked the region's development concerns when he joined the government through the March 2018 truce with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Lacking commitment
He accused Mr Odinga and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka of lacking commitment to develop Ukambani "despite the plum positions they have held in government".
Dr Ruto's call comes against the backdrop of intense pressure on Mr Musyoka to support Mr Odinga's presidential bid.
Although Mr Musyoka insists that he must contest the presidency and hopes to fly the One Kenya Alliance (OKA) flag in the 2022 presidential race, Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu, a section of elders in the region, clerics and some of Mr Musyoka's allies think that he risks leading the region to political oblivion in OKA.
They are behind the pressure to have Mr Musyoka back Mr Odinga. The pressure intensified after the collapse of the bid to change the Constitution under the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) and lately after Wiper lost the Nguu/Masumba ward by-election in Makueni.
Collapse of BBI
Mr Timothy Maneno, an independent candidate backed by Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana and Machakos chief of staff Mwengi Mutuse, won the seat and the UDA candidate came second.
Yesterday, Dr Ruto mocked Mr Odinga following the collapse of BBI as some of his local allies took turns savouring the outcome of the Nguu/Masumba ward mini-poll, saying it indicated that UDA had taken root in the region.
The DP was accompanied by UDA chairman Johnson Muthama, Turkana Governor Josphat Nanok and MPs Victor Munyaka (Machakos Town), Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu) and Katoo ole Metito (Kajiado South).
They addressed roadside rallies in Mtito Andei, Kambu, Kibwezi and Makindu, promoting the bottom-up economic model that sits at the heart of Dr Ruto's presidential campaign.
Mr Nanok asked Prof Kibwana to drop his presidential bid and join UDA.
Dr Ruto doled out Sh5 million to small-scale traders in the region, and pledged to institutionalise access to affordable credit to empower the traders if he takes over from President Kenyatta.
