Kadu Asili faults Ruto over Coast projects

Kadu Asili party leader Mudzo Nzili addresses the Press in Mombasa. [Robert Menza, Standard]

Kadu Asili has faulted President William Ruto over his Coast region development plan, saying that he was still riding on projects initiated during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime.

The party also took issue with the Ruto administration over the recent recruitment of about 290 employees at Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), noting that over 80 per cent of the positions were allocated to Rift Valley region.

In an apparent audit of the president’s recent tour of the Coast region, Kadu Asili officials claimed the Ruto administration has not initiated any landmark project and that even the issuance of 33,000 title deeds was not new to the Coast region as the Jubilee administration distribution more than 800,000 deeds under the national titling programme.

Kadu Asili party leader and former Kenya National Union of Teachers (Knut) national chairman Mr Mudzo Nzili stated that President Ruto embarked on giving false promises during the recent Coast tour and urged Kenyans to reject him at the ballot following the high cost of living and poor development record.

“In the same breath, I wish to challenge those UDA sycophants individually and collectively to list any landmark development projects done at the Coast by President William Ruto, save for the unconstitutional constructions of the unpopular affordable housing scheme. This oppressive regime has made life difficult for every adult. Nobody is safe, even those in their misguided praise and worship of the UDA choir, “ he argued.

He added, “Let us rise and unite so that together we can remove this oppressive regime in 2027 through the power of the ballot.”

Nzili noted that over 800,000 title deeds were issued to land owners during the Uhuru administration, addressing historical land injustices.

A Kadu Asili National Executive Committee (NEC) member Mr Frank Nzao called for the formation of a task to identify parcels for resettlement of squatters to ensure transparency.

“We need a task force to come up with a proper way of handling the land issue at the Coast instead of what is happening at the moment,” he said.

President has since set up a team comprising Senate speaker Amason Kingi and Cabinet Secretaries Hassan Joho and Salim Mvurya to identify land and negotiate with owners for purchase by the government.

However, the process has been questioned as the government has not declared the budget used to acquire the parcels and the landlords involved.

Addressing journalists at Mama Ngina Waterfront park in Mombasa yesterday, Nzili noted that Kenyans were disappointed that despite the current harsh economic challenges, President Ruto did not focus on pertinent issues such as unemployment of youth and give them optimism and non-performing Social Health Authority (SHA).

“Why did the recently conducted online recruitment at KPA favour the Rift Valley region, which brought over 80 percent of the total number of all those recruited, leaving only 20 percent to be shared by the entire country?. This is outright discrimination of the youths of this country contrary to Article 27(4) of the Constitution of Kenya…” Nzili said.

He called for immediate nullification of that recruitment and a fresh process to be initiated to correct the alleged matter.

He noted that the majority of Kenyans have complained that the SHA medical scheme is not working as expected.

“Everybody is disappointed by the persistent shortcomings of this medical scheme. We expected the President to give hope and assurance to the mothers Who once benefited from Linda Mama services through NHIF. Farmers, fishermen, small scale traders, mama mboga and boda boda riders are disappointed,” he said, challenging president Ruto to give them attention.

He also challenged the government to address the increase in fuel prices saying that it will lead to an increase in manufacturing expenses and trigger corresponding commodity prices increase.

He said taxation of the majority of the working class in Kenya, save for the politicians, has led to frustrations and demoralized workers in the country.

“One’s payslip these days resembles a newspaper column because it has a lot of information on salary Deductions such that the net pay at the bottom is an unusually small amount. Over-taxation has demoralised the working class people who cannot make ends meet despite being employed,” he noted.

Nzili noted that retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration transformed the Kenyan Coast region through a sh3.6 trillion that was used to fund and complete mega Infrastructural and economic projects in the Coast region.

He highlighted the Dongo Kundu bypass, Lamu port, Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), modernization of Mombasa port, construction of Mwache dam and construction of roads across the region.