Stop hoodwinking Nyanza, UGM tells government

UGM party leader Agustino Neto addresses journalists after a delegates' meeting in Rodi Kopany Township. [James Omoro, Standard]

The United Green Movement (UGM) party has criticised leaders allied to the broad-based government for using State projects to hoodwink South Nyanza residents into voting for President William Ruto’s re-election.

UGM party leader Agustino Neto and national organising secretary Easter Ogweno said the ODM Linda Ground and UDA politicians were using the development projects as bait for Ruto’s re-election. 

During his tour of Homa Bay County on Friday, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki told Nyanza residents to support Ruto’s second-term bid to enable them get more development projects in the next government. 

A similar appeal has been given by a number of ODM and UDA leaders in Nyanza who are supporting the broad-based government. 

Speaking in Rodi Kopany township when his team met over 250 UGM delegates from all the 40 wards in Homa Bay County, Neto said implementation of development is a constitutional right of the people. 

“Citizens have a constitutional right to acquire development from the government. If the government implements development for the people, it has done its constitutional mandate, not a favour to the people,” Neto said. 

He told Nyanza residents not to be hoodwinked with development projects in order to support Ruto’s re-election. 

“It is true that the government is doing important development projects in Nyanza. But this is not a favour for the people of this region. It is their constitutional right. Let it not be a basis for asking for presidential votes,” Neto said. 

He argued that that corruption, which had led to the theft of billions of shillings, is impeding the implementation of development in many parts of the country.

The former Ndhiwa MP told Kenyans to elect a leader who can seal the loopholes for theft of public resources.