Ruto says State House bid made easier by Mudavadi, Wetangula

Deputy President William Ruto has said the presidential race has been made easier by entry of ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi and Ford Kenya's Moses Wetang'ula into the Hustler Nation.

Ruto noted that in 2017 elections, him and President Uhuru Kenyatta won without the support of the key Western leaders who have now backed his quest for the presidency.

He said with Mudavadi and Wetang'ula in his camp, it will be an early win for him on August 9. “We made it to State House in 2017 without the support of Mudavadi and Wetang'ula, today the two leaders have decided to join the Hustler Nation. This erases any doubt that we will be in State House early enough in August,” Ruto said.

This comes barely a day after Ruto and the two leaders held a joint rally in Nakuru.

Addressing a rally in Kinoo, Kiambu County, yesterday, the DP reiterated that the presidency is not won in air-conditioned hotel rooms but by meeting the people.

In a thinly veiled attack on ODM leader Raila Odinga, Ruto said: “Political seats are not won in hotels, they are not won in boardrooms, they are won by meeting the voters and selling ideologies, policies and manifestos.”

He claimed the government's Big Four Agenda was derailed by interference from the ODM leader.

He promised to carry on with those projects and prioritise small and medium entrepreneurs.

“My government will put aside Sh100 billion to create employment especially in agribusiness, manufacturing, value addition and in small and medium businesses,” he said.

He regretted that Kenyans have been left at the mercy of shylocks and online money lenders because of the economic hardships.

“We shall address this problem once and for all. Nearly everyone here has either a soft loan or a loan from a shylock he or she is servicing. We shall empower the affected population,” Ruto said.

The DP promised affordable health insurance through NHIF by reducing the payable rates and ensuring the premiums are tailored to suit different economic status of citizens.

He also pledged to work closely with Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichungwa to provide a bus for Mama Ngina Primary School and HGM Kinoo Primary School.

He was speaking after opening academic blocks at the schools. MPs John Kiarie, Rigathi Gachagua, Ichungwa, Jayne Kihara, George Koimburi and Charles Njagua accompanied him, among others.