UHURU, RUTO IN FINAL PLEA FOR VOTES IN KISII AND BOMET

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, address a rally on July 31, 2017 at Bomet Green Stadium in Bomet County. The Jubilee Party leaders also took their re-election campaigns to Kisii County. PHOTO | DPPS 

By NATION TEAM

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto on Monday made their final plea for votes to residents of Kisii and Bomet counties, promising to lead an administration that will address local needs.

In Kisii, where opposition chief Raila Odinga received more votes than him in 2003, the President asked residents to vote for a leadership that will lift them out of poverty.

His tour of Kisii was aimed at tilting the scales from his 2013 tally of 95,596 votes (27.8 per cent) against Mr Odinga’s 236,831 (68.8 per cent).

Then, President Kenyatta’s National Super Alliance (Nasa) rival contested on a Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) ticket.

The President and his deputy used the opportunity to dish out more goodies to Kisii residents and created a sub-county called Etago.

VOTE FOR JUBILEE

He said a deputy county commissioner will be posted next week and that the same would be gazetted.

In Bomet, the Jubilee caravan announced that they were paving 260 kilometres of new roads and asked residents to vote for President Kenyatta’s re-election to benefit more.

The President also cited the Siongiroi-Kipreres-Longisa road, whose tender, he said, had already been advertised.

The Jubilee government, he said, had spent Sh1.1 billion to connect households to electricity in Bomet alone.

He said the number of connections rose from 11,000 in 2013 to 40,000.

“We have equipped Longisa and Ndanai hospitals with crucial equipment costing Sh800 million,” said the President, who claimed he was “surprised” to see local governor Isaac Ruto quit Jubilee for the opposition.

JOYCE LABOSO

Mr Ruto fell out with Jubilee before forming Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) party and then joined Nasa as the fifth principal, going against the grain in the Rift Valley region.

The President, who was visiting for the second time in a month, also called on residents to elect Jubilee’s Dr Joyce Laboso as the first female governor.

“I have come to humbly ask you Kalenjins that let us remain united and tread carefully to ensure that on August 8, we have elected Mr Kenyatta so that on August 9, I will take the baton for 2022,” said the DP. “Our opponents are not ready for polls; they have no agenda for the country and that is why they are blaming other institutions.”

The President and Mr Ruto also defended the acting Interior Cabinet secretary, Dr Fred Matiang’i, over rigging claims by the opposition.

RIG ELECTION

“Leave those we have given jobs alone,” said President Kenyatta at Gusii Stadium. “If Raila wants to be a minister, let him wait; after August 8, I will give him a Cabinet post.

“He roams around chest-thumping, claiming elections will be rigged, so that he can have excuses. We only have a week left.”

He said the opposition cannot scare them and they are confident of winning the August 8 elections.

Since last week, Nasa have claimed that the Jubilee regime was using the military to craft a plot to ensure they stay in power — allegations the Defence ministry has vehemently refuted.

OPPOSING EVERYTHING

The President said they were focused on the elections, chiding the opposition, yet again, for “opposing everything”.

He added: “Ukienda soko na huna ndizi za kuuza unapigana na mwenzako ambaye anauza. Tuko na ndizi zetu; tunajua nini tunauzia Wakenya (You don’t go to the market without bananas to sell and start fighting those who have stock. We have bananas; we know what we are selling to Kenyans).”

Reporting by Anita Chepkoech, Elgar Machuka and Ruth Mbula

SOURCE: NMG