Kiyiapi endorsed, pledges unity, change

By Augustine Oduor

Restore and Build Kenya (RBK) party leader James ole Kiyiapi has pledged to unite Kenyans, spur economic growth, and create jobs if elected president.

He also pledged to streamline the health sector, expand education opportunities, and improve infrastructure.

Prof Kiyiapi said it will not be business as usual under his leadership, and proposed policy changes that he said once implemented would change the destiny of the country.

He said the first executive order of his government would be to declare youth unemployment a national disaster and to devise means and ways of absorbing the unemployed.

Part of this, he said, will be to open internships for students, create short-term contracts for the youth, and to expand sports and talent search.

Speaking on Friday after 384 party delegates gathered in Nairobi to endorse him as party presidential candidate, Kiyiapi promised a clean leadership.

He also criticised those interpreting the law to mean “all can be elected to lead” in the face of Chapter Six of the Constitution that speaks on integrity.

“What was the benefit of Chapter Six that now everyone can just run for top office anyway? What kind of country is this?” he posed.

War on corruption

He said once elected, change will set in, noting that there will be no land grabbing and that all land disputes shall be resolved.

Kiyiapi warned Kenyans bent on stealing from public coffers that their time is up.

“I will declare war on all kinds of corruption. I will never allow a few Kenyans to eat so much leaving millions poor and hungry,” he said.

He said the insecurity had reached an all time high and promised to use an integrated approach that will involve Kenyans and the security apparatus to find peace.

“We shall ensure co-ordination among Government arms and security apparatus. There will be no cattle rustling and no Kenyans will be harassed by fellow Kenyans,” he said.

Kiyiapi spoke on Friday amid cheers from jubilant members of the special delegates conference.

He said under his leadership, each county would have referral hospital equipped to international standards.

Kiyiapi said Sh1 billion would be invested in district hospitals to elevate them to acceptable standards. He said emergency and trauma management services would also be introduced to help in emergency cases.

“It is our pledge that we shall increase funding to the heath sector to 12 per cent up from six per cent of the budget,” he said.

On food security, Kiyiapi said his Government would build dams to tap floodwaters that would be used to irrigate crops.  He said all the rainwaters will be harnessed and stored and the food crops well distributed across the country.