President Uhuru Kenyatta and DP William Ruto PHOTO:COURTESY

Driven by a burning desire to return to State House, buoyed by flattering polls but bogged down by a number of unfulfilled pledges, President Uhuru Kenyatta makes his closing submissions in a last-ditch attempt to convince voters for another chance.

For a man who stormed State House against many odds, Kenya's youngest president yet has made a name for himself and country abroad even as he navigated from one storm into another at home.

And as he hits the homestretch of his first term, politicians are sharply divided in their assessment of his performance.

Majority Leaders in the Senate and National Assembly Kithure Kindiki and Aden Duale paint a rosy picture while Opposition legislators are convinced there is little to show after four years.
"The President has done an exemplary job under the circumstances. He came in under a new constitution and his term has been shortened by eight months," said Kindiki.

The Senate leader cited new medical equipment in county hospitals, increased connection of electricity connectivity from 2.8 million households to close to six million and construction of the Standard Gauge Railway as key achievements.

Duale told The Standard they would not be distracted by people "who have eyes but have refused to see".
He said the administration would continue implementing the remaining pledges ahead of the polls.
ODM Chairman John Mbadi said there was nothing to celebrate and things had worsened since Jubilee took power in 2013. He cited a struggling economy, hunger, corruption and spate of insecurity in some parts of the country.
"I don't expect anything much because the President's time is up. Since the last State of the Nation address, things have gone from bad to worse.

"He should speak about his readiness to hand over power. What else can he tell us about corruption? He should give a commitment that Jubilee will not use the State machinery," said Mr Mbadi.

Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire said Uhuru had no projects other than those initiated by Kibaki and Raila.

He said the administration had been operating on lies, saying most of the pledges it made like laptops to Standard One pupils and stadia were yet to be fulfilled.

Tiaty MP Asman Kamama said the Government had done a lot in the Energy and Security sectors.