Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga visited Nakuru County yesterday, hours after President Uhuru Kenyatta met local leaders and intensified attacks against DP William Ruto.
President Kenyatta, speaking on Wednesday night at his Gicheha farm, accused Dr Ruto’s allies of pocketing billions of shillings meant for the stalled Arror and Kimwarer dams.
Uhuru spoke at his Gicheha Farm in Rongai where he met elders and youth. President Kenyatta dismissed Ruto’s narrative during the presidential debate on Tuesday night that no money meant for the two dams had been lost.
During the presidential debate, Ruto said the projects in his home turf were suspended in an attempt to punish him politically and cut short his 2022 presidential ambitions.
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The DP said nobody had been prosecuted in the cases because there is no evidence.
Meanwhile, Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua traversed Nakuru for their last rally in the county.
“We began Azimio’s journey on August 17, 2021, in Nakuru. We are now at a defining moment. This election will be a battle between those against corruption and those who want to maintain the status quo,” Mr Odinga said.
He took a swipe at Ruto’s running mate Rigathi Gachagua and the Kenya Kwanza brigade, saying they cannot be trusted with the country’s leadership. “The court has pronounced itself on the millions of shillings frozen in Gachagua’s bank accounts. How they got the millions is the main question.”
Mr Odinga said that once elected, his administration will recover looted money and channel it towards development. Mr Odinga reiterated his commitment to run a corruption-free government urging the residents to vote for him in the August 9 general election.
“We shall not run a government that will have a few looters walk around with stolen billions. When they come with the looted billions, take the cash, but vote for Azimio.”
Raila urged communities living in the Rift not to yield to intimidation by those with whom they don’t share the same political ideologies.
“From now until after the next government comes into office, President Uhuru and his government are there to ensure everyone is guaranteed their security. No one will be displaced,” he said.
Raila added that the right to elect leaders democratically must be respected in the coming polls to ensure the country remains politically stable.
“It doesn’t matter even if you will not vote for me. That is your right. The country belongs to all of us, not a particular group of people,” he said.
On her part, Ms Karua tore into Gachagua, saying the court order directing that he forfeits over Sh200 million to the State was enough evidence that he is dishonest.
Karua said Gachagua and Ruto have no development records to show for the decades they have been in leadership.
“It is not wrong to have wealth but acquire it the right way,” she said.
Karua called on Kenyans not to elect someone whose actions cannot be emulated, adding that once Azimio wins the presidency, they shall not treat the Kenya Kwanza leaders unfairly.
“We shall not punish people because they are in the opposition. We shall however fight corruption and that does not mean a particular individual. We can’t hold hands with the corrupt,” she said. Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui urged residents to vote for leaders they believe in without fear of what will follow.
“Threats and intimidation will no longer work in defining how people vote,” said Kinyanjui.
