Deputy President William Ruto and former Nairobi Deputy Governor Jonathan Mueke during their meeting at the DP's Karen residence.
Following days of public criticism over failure by his allies to explain the bottom-up economic model, Deputy President William Ruto has weighed in on the matter.
Yesterday, the DP defended the model, saying it was aimed at creating jobs and that it will have more benefits than the trickle-down economic which breeds cartels.
Ruto said difficult as it maybe, the economy conversation is a must have to burry tribalism, patronage, cronyism and corruption.
“Bottom-up is focused on deliberately creating jobs, liberating enterprises from shylock-credit exploitation and unfair regulation and empowering our resource-poor farmers to produce and free them from the slavery/indignity of relief food aid,” Ruto tweeted.
He also took a swipe at his critics, saying it is time that politicians focusing on ethnicity, positions, power and law changes, have the economy debate.
He said the bottom-up model is focused on the jobless, struggling ‘hustler’ enterprises and those who can’t put food on the table.
Liberate the future
“We have the option of making peace with the mediocrity of leaders-centred, position/power sharing politics and the failed trickle-down economics or up our game to the people-centred and bottom-up model that deliberately focuses on labour intensive infrastructure/manufacture investments,” he said.
Ruto said his aim was to salvage the present and liberate the future and that the political conversation has changed for good.
On Thursday, he said, “Bottom-up is anchored on deliberately promoting investments and financial investments and financial instruments targeting the millions who are unemployed, hustler enterprises/farmer groups.”
This comes days after Kandara MP Alice Wahome and other lawmakers affiliated to him appeared to struggle to explain the bottom-up approach.
Wahome and her Kikuyu counterpart Kimani Ichungwa stammered their way through explanations in separate TV interviews when asked to break down the model adapted by the DP’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
Notably, Ruto in May announced that he had formulated a ‘hustlers economic blueprint’ set to be unveiled in December. It is poised to employ the bottom-up economic model.
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“I will work hard to implement every aspect of what I am pledging. The bottom-up economy will work and must work, this I can assure Kenyans and I will be accountable to them,” he said on May 4.
Some of the think tanks crafting the DP’s blueprint include former Central Bank Governor Njuguna Ndung’u, economist David Ndii, former CS Davis Chirchir, who is an ICT expert, and Larry Gumbe, a former ally of ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Others are Augustine Choge, Jason, Edward Kisiangani, Mugambi Mureithi, Raphael Munavu and former Raila ally Eliud Owalo.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has castigated his deputy’s style of politics saying it is aimed at radicalising the youth to be dependent on handouts as opposed to empowerment.
Opposition leaders Raila and ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi have also modelled their campaigns around revitalising the economy.
Raila has repeatedly questioned how wheelbarrows will help uplift million of jobless Kenyans.