Uhuru Kenyatta says no direct tickets in Jubilee Party

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto at Banana shopping centre when they toured Kiambu County. Photo: Elvis Ogina, Standard

President Uhuru Kenyatta Wednesday ruled out any direct tickets in Jubilee Party.

He criticised the Opposition’s move to give “free ride” to some aspirants and scoffed at plans to have a parallel vote tallying centre in the August 8 General Election.

The President told the Opposition to be ready to concede defeat should he beat them in the polls.

He said it is only the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) that had the constitutional mandate to announce the election results.

Uhuru was speaking in Kiambu County where he highlighted the Jubilee development record and accused Opposition leaders of having nothing to show for the years they were in Government. He was accompanied by his deputy, William Ruto.

Uhuru challenged the Opposition chiefs to tell Kenyans why they should be given a chance come August 8.

The President declared Jubilee Party would not issue any direct tickets to any aspirants ahead of April 21 party primaries.

Uhuru told aspirants seeking the Jubilee Party ticket to seek the mandate of the people, saying the party leadership would not favour anyone.

He criticised the decision by ODM leader Raila Odinga to issue direct tickets to some of the aspirants, terming it as subversion of democracy.

“By giving direct tickets to some individuals, they have shown they have no room for democracy. Democracy is not about money, who you know or how well you glorify an individual but it is about the will of the people,” Uhuru said during a stop-over at Wangige.

He added: “He (Raila) keeps saying he is the father of democracy, which father of democracy dishes certificates like ‘peremende’.”

In a whirlwind political tour of Kiambu and Nairobi counties yesterday, Uhuru pleaded with the people to give him another five-year term to continue with his development track record.

The President said he gets pained seeing the Opposition leaders going round the country discrediting him and saying his government had done nothing.

“I am challenging them to first show Kenyans what they did for them before castigating my administration. I feel pained whenever I see them going round saying we have done nothing for the four years we have been in power,” said Uhuru in Ruaka, Kiambaa constituency.

Mr Ruto said the Opposition should sell their policies to Kenyans since it was the voters who would pick their leaders.

“The Opposition chiefs should first table their score for the three decades they were in government. This time round, there will be no short-cut to power,” said Ruto. “There is nowhere in the world where an election has been won on account of announcing yourself the winner,” he said.

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