Azimio la Umoja One Kenya presidential running mate Martha Karua has promised robust support to devolution and stopped short of criticising the Jubilee government on the same.
Speaking to Gikuyu, Kiembu and Kimeru broadcast stations yesterday from Trademark Hotel at Village market, Ms Karua said an Azimio government would stick to the functions the national government has been allocated in the Constitution.
“We shall strictly follow the law as regards clipping the devolved units that fail to deliver their constitutional mandates. But we shall largely leave them to do their bit,” Ms Karua said.
She regretted that county governments were the new corruption dens, creating new billionaires and sometimes completely failing to fulfil Kenyans’ constitutional dreams.
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Ms Karua promised support and a free reign to devolution, saying a 35 per cent budgetary allocation to counties, from the current 15 per cent, was guaranteed “even if it will take constitutional change to achieve the same.”
“Coercing the county government into capital projects will never happen under Azimio,” she said in an apparent reference to the Leased Medical Equipment Project.
Speaking of a corruption-free government, she said Azimio would ensure only the deserving benefit from public bursary funds and only those under the specified categories would access the promised Sh6,000 welfare stipend.
She cautioned that presidential candidate Raila Odinga must not be associated with failures of the Jubilee government. “He has been a government ally, but friendship must never be associated with responsibility. Raila was not directly involved in running the government,” said the Narc-Kenya leader.
On youth empowerment, she said solving corruption in the public sector would free funds for youth and women.
She also trashed politics of religiosity, saying there had been an attempt to paint Azimio as distant from the church. She promised respect and protection of freedom of worship, as enshrined in the Constitution.
“Being a Christian is not about carrying two Bibles to church, being showy or getting baptised with Christian names. After all, even Jesus warned in the Bible that many who sang his praises will never see heaven. Christianity is how a leader treated the public, their interests and respected public property,” Karua said.
She said there was no division but friendly competition in Azimio. “This is normal for any family and our alliance is solidly committed to winning under Raila Odinga. It is not about positions but the work we aspire to put in for Kenyans. Azimio has no room for democratic regression but improvement, especially if elected into office,” said Karua.
She was however careful on her pronouncements on Mt Kenya, only promising generally that the region’s interests would be taken care of. “When we fix the economy and deliver the roads, the hospitals, good education and development for the whole of the nation, Mt Kenya will benefit as part of Kenya,” she said in the broadcast.
She urged Kenyans to pay particular attention to history and establish how the main competitors had performed in previous public office positions.
“Look at our history as politicians. Look at how Raila and I performed as ministers under (Mwai) Kibaki’s government. Raila was Roads minister under Kibaki and the roads were tattered like an old cloth when he took over. He repaired the tattered roads and laid a foundation for projects, even the grand projects like Thika superhighway and the Nairobi Expressway,” said Karua.
She urged Kenyans to treat the presidential race as a job interview with the voters as the employer and the candidates as job seekers.
“Kenyans are lucky that all those aspiring to be president have long records in government. It is easy to decide who they will give the mantle to,” said Karua.
