Ruto indirectly blames Uhuru over ‘stalled’ projects, vows to oppose BBI

Deputy President William Ruto receives a bunch of bananas from youth during their empowerment programme at Sironga grounds in West Mugirango, Nyamira County. [DPPS, Standard]

Deputy President Dr William Ruto on Thursday launched an indirect dress down to President Uhuru Kenyatta over what he termed as stalled Big Four Agenda.

The DP who was speaking in Nyamira claimed that the President has turned his focus on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) leaving the government projects unattended.

He claimed that all the plans they had for the country have now been derailed by the BBI campaign even as he claimed he would remain steadfast in opposing the initiative.

Ruto said that they started well and had been implementing a number of programs to change lives of the many vulnerable Kenyans, but midway, the President diverted the agenda and instead started engaging in BBI politics.

The DP singled out the National Housing project which the Jubilee administration started. But according to Ruto. the President abandoned course and instead diverted his energies towards the BBI debate.

"We (Ruto and Uhuru) had the National Housing Program as one of the Big Four Agenda that was aimed at building 500,000 houses every year across the country. The program was to create jobs for plumbers, carpenters, masons, electricians and engineers. But the jobs have stalled because we have been told that there is a very important project...the project of BBI which is geared on creating three or four jobs for some few people," the DP told the crowds in Kitutu Masaba Constituency.

Tough talk

The DP also declared defiance on any of the debates to do with a constitutional change and the BBI as he told the people that he had decided to move against Uhuru's wave.

"Let me ask you this you young people: is creating jobs for many desperate youths of the country going to be the priority or creating jobs for the few three or four people as proposed in the BBI draft? That's why we need a change of conversation in this country. We always talk about changing the constitution but this time round, we are going to engage in talking about changing the lives of the poor and lowly in the country?" Ruto said.

He added that the time for a change of the National conversation had come: "The time for changing the conversation has come. We will talk no more of leadership and positions of few big people seeking national leadership, but the politics of small people. When shall we talk about bodaboda riders and the country's small and medium enterprise businesses?" the DP posed.

"We should start from the grassroots where bodaboda people and other lowly Kenyans are. those crusading for BBI want a top-down debate but we want a bottom-up approach. We empower the lowly people first and move upwards to provide for top leadership positions. We will go contrary to anything they are doing. I am not mad. I am not drunk and I know what I am saying. From down-up, it's possible but not up-down," Ruto said.

He told the people to reject those leaders who were out to incite them against others on basis of politics.

The ICC debate

The DP contextualised his frustration with the same Government he is part of by citing the 2012 case in which him and Uhuru, alongside other four people were charged for crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court.

"If it were not for prayers which delivered us from the shackles of The Hague, and God gave us the leadership because our Christians slept in churches and prayed for us until it was over. Our Government cannot be the same that beats Christians in Church. That is very bad and I pray that those we have given jobs to respect churches and God and stop enforcing the law in houses of worship," he said.

He would then hit out at government officers he referred to as "those above" as he accused them of selectively applying the National Security Council advisory on public order.

"I want to tell our friends wherever they are, if you have no respect for William Ruto, please have some respect for the almighty God. Don't teargas churches," he said in reference to the recent violence at Kenol Church in Murangá, where two people died after being shot at by the police.

In all the two functions, Ruto was accompanied by Kisii Deputy Governor Joash Maangi; Host MPs Shadrack Mose(Kitutu Masaba), Joash Nyamoko(North Mugirango), Vincent Kemosi(West Mugirango); Ndindi Nyoro(Kiharu), Rigati Gachagua(Mathira), Sylvanus Osoro(South Mugirango) and nominated senator Millicent Omanga.

The legislators asked all Kenyans to embrace the political front that the Deputy President has started and promised to do all they can in changing lives of poor Kenyans.