We will reward you in equal measure, Ruto promises Mudavadi

Deputy President William Ruto has promised a handsome reward to Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi.

Ruto while thanking Mudavadi for making the decision to join the hustler movement, said the latter had broken protocol and decided to stand with the people of Kenya.

He said many had advised Mudavadi to shelf his presidential ambition and support a state project but against the odds, Mudavadi decided otherwise.

“I stand here today to thank you for that decision to support us. You stood against all odds and for that, I want to promise you that we will pay you in equal measure,” said Ruto.

Ruto’s remarks come as a section of ANC leaders threaten to leave the Kenya Kwanza Alliance coalition if their party leader Musalia Mudavadi is denied the running mate position.

The leaders including Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala say it will be wrong for UDA leader William Ruto to pick a running mate from Mt. Kenya thereby denying other Kenya Kwanza principals a say in the coalition.

“We are not ready to commit the same mistakes we did in Nasa, we are giving a demand, this is a coalition of parties and not regions, they should not think that because we come from down here we shall let them decide for us,” said Malala.

Malala argued that they did not join the Azimio la Umoja camp because there was nothing that they would get.

“We have a shared agenda on how to revive the economy that is why we are saying if UDA gets the presidency, ANC must get the running mate position which automatically goes to Mudavadi,” he said.

But speaking to a standing ovation at UDA’s national delegates convention at Kasarani, Ruto said Mudavadi’s efforts would not go to vain.

Ruto while hitting back at President Uhuru Kenyatta said it was unfortunate that he had been pushed to the periphery in the same government he formulated.

He said in the past four years, he got the opportunity to engage with ordinary people.

“It is a shameful deception that unity is among the elite who are associated with state power whose main agenda is to capture the state and disfranchise the ordinary,” Ruto said.

He said he commits to living up to the original commitment to prosper the country through the bottoms-up model.

“I reject the idea that we can be united without political competition and opposition. Democracy is a competition and must have robust checks and balances,” he said.

“I promise that in the first day of my administration, I will confront and dismantle politics of self-interests because I believe public policy should not be customized to benefit private entities at the expense of the ordinary citizen,” Ruto said.

Ruto said he will also ensure institutions like DCI, EACC and KRA are delivered from state capture.

“They have weaponized these institutions to run political errands but we want to tell them that we shall appoint an accounting officer for them including Inspector General of Police and DCI so that they stop depending on the office of the President to function,’ Ruto said.