MPs defend Ruto against Azimio low rating

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Kenya Kwanza Alliance leaders have stepped forward to defend President William Ruto's administration, rebuking Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition for assigning a D-score to Kenya Kwanza's performance in the past year.

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said the president's performance has been outstanding, with the achievements of the past year equating to what his predecessors accomplished in five years.

Senator Cherargei rates the Kenya Kwanza administration's performance at 90 per cent.

Cherargei said the Ruto administration has hired 55,000 teachers, granted autonomy to the Kenya Police Service in managing its budget, offered farmers subsidised fertilisers, and actively courted investors for the country. He regards the Azimio scorecard as misplaced.

Nominated Senator Tabitha Mutinda described the Azimio Coalition's assessment of Kenya Kwanza as laughable. She said the opposition did not establish an examination for the Ruto administration, and therefore, they cannot claim to possess the grading criteria for it.

Mutinda said the Kenya Kwanza administration has achieved significant milestones in its one-year tenure.

She said some of the challenges confronting the nation, such as the high cost of living and rising fuel prices, are a result of global issues that the government is currently addressing.

Nevertheless, it's worth noting that last year, when Kenya Kwanza was criticising the Uhuru administration under similar circumstances, they dismissed Uhuru's call for leaders to understand that the cost of living was being influenced by factors beyond his control.

Bomet Senator Hillary Sigei said he had not expected Azimio to assign a better score to Kenya Kwanza. He reasoned that this expectation arose from Azimio La Umoja's persistent stance that Ruto did not win the 2022 general election, despite affirmations of his victory by numerous observers.

He said: "We certainly couldn't have expected Azimio la Umoja to provide a more favorable rating. What's worth noting is that by releasing the scorecard, the Azimio Coalition has acknowledged the legitimate tenure of the Kenya Kwanza administration. Let them remain vigilant and attentive to see how things unfold."

Tharaka Nithi Senator Mwenda Gataya said Azimio leaders were only playing politics terming their scorecard biased.