Prime
The game will be won by Raila Odinga: President Uhuru Kenyatta
President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses wananchi at Othaya town in Nyeri county moments after he commissioned Mwai Kibaki Hospital on August 6, 2022. PHOTO/NMG
What you need to know:
- In Nyeri, President Kenyatta officially opened Mwai Kibaki Hospital and Mwai Kibaki Hospital Oxygen Production Unit.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday drummed support for Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition candidate Raila Odinga and cautioned the region against electing his deputy, William Ruto.
The Head of State, while commissioning projects in Muranga and Nyeri, claimed the rest of the country is aligned to the Azimio coalition saying Central Kenya risks being left out if they elect leaders aligned to Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza.
“Believe me or not, the game will be won by Raila and Martha. Ensure you elect leaders under the Azimio coalition,” Mr Kenyatta said in Nyeri as he officially opened the Mwai Kibaki Hospital.
The president sought to defend himself against claims that he intends to remain in power through the Azimio coalition.
“I have come to bid you goodbye but also to demystify the lies said about me. You were misled that I wanted to retain power through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI). However, what we wanted was the populous Mt Kenya region to enjoy an equitable share of resources compared to areas with lower population,” he said.
Mr Kenyatta said he expected the incoming regime to address the resource allocation and representation imbalance against the Mt Kenya region.
“I worry about how a constituency like Maragua that has more than 100,000 voters gets Sh100 million from the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) the same as a constituency with 40,000 voters." he said.
The president added that he will have keen interest in Mt Kenya's development programmes after he retires.
“I have always, in my 10-years, endeavoured to expand infrastructure to a point eyebrows were raised about the huge budgets we were pumping here,” he said.
The president said his successor should exercise passionate interest about Mt Kenya issues in the same manner he did.
He added that infrastructure expansion will help rejuvenate the area economy, priority areas being roads, electricity and water sources.
President Kenyatta further accused his deputy William Ruto of defying his directives and choosing politicking over work immediately after their re-election in 2017, leading to a fallout.
“Some people have come here presenting themselves as saviours of this region. They tell you that I neglected you and I don't care about you. I campaigned for some of those people telling lies about me.”
“After the election, I asked them to stop politicking but they defied me. I went quiet and chose the handshake for the sake of our country. This is why you have experienced peace and development in the last three years,” the President said.
On the promise he made to back DP Ruto, he said: “You know you can join someone for a safari but later realize it will not end up well. Don't remind me about the promise I made, I did not make a promise to throw people into a ditch,” he told residents in Gikuyu.
“It is up to you to decide if you want to go to a house full of thieves and liars simply because of sweetened words and a few pennies or a just house that will ensure justice for all and a great future for our children,” he said at Kenol, Murang’a County.
In Murang’a, where he commissioned the Sh14 billion Kenol-Sagana-Marua dual-carriage highway, President Kenyatta said he was saddened by "the lies and insults that have been littered in Mt Kenya by ‘visionless leaders who never gave the truth a chance’".
The 84-kilometre dual carriageway is 95 percent complete.
Transport CS James Macharia said the new dual carriageway is being built in two phases; the first involves construction of the 36km stretch from Sagana to Marua at a cost of Sh6 billion and the second covering the 48km Kenol to Sagana stretch at a cost of Sh8 billion.
He said the project was “well thought-out, worthy and whose multiplying factor on return will hit more than 25 times its value by 2025 calculated from volume of business to open up along the route”.
Governor Mwangi wa Iria, who recently joined Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance coalition, accused Kenya Kwanza leaders of disrespecting the President and urged the electorate to back Mr Odinga.
In Nyeri, President Kenyatta officially opened Mwai Kibaki Hospital and Mwai Kibaki Hospital Oxygen Production Unit.
He also conducted ground-breaking ceremony for the Dedan Kimathi University Comprehensive Cancer Management Centre. He also commissioned the Chaka Industrial Hub and Market and the rehabilitated Thika-Nanyuki Meter gauge railway line as well as the new Chaka Railway Station.
By Mwangi Muiruri, Martin Mwaura, Diana Boyani and Mwangi Ndirangu
