Chief guest Ruto won’t attend Devolution Conference in Makueni

Deputy President William Ruto at a past function. [File, Standard]

Deputy President William Ruto, who was scheduled to close the 7th Annual Devolution Conference in Makueni on Friday, won’t attend the function.

The DP’s communications team, led by David Mugonyi, says Ruto will be in Nyandarua County to drum up support for his bottom-up economic model, which he is hinging on to push his 2022 presidential bid.

The deputy president’s speech, however, will be read out by a representative, who his communications team describes as “a respectable person in society”.

The identity of Ruto’s representative to the conference remains concealed.

In the past, it was a tradition that the president officially opens the three-day Devolution Conference, and his deputy closes the convention on the last day.

This year’s Devolution Conference, which is the 7th and the last under the Jubilee administration, is being held at Makueni Boys’ High School.

During the function, all 47 governors meet to review the previous year’s performances and challenges, and chart a way forward on how their constituents’ welfare would be improved.

Besides the governors, Chief Justice Martha Koome is among the high profile people who have addressed this year’s convention.

In her speech on Thursday, Koome, said no one should be anxious about her role in the 2022 polls team, stating that Judicial independence is deep-rooted, and cannot be threatened by her inclusion in the intergovernmental election preparedness team.

On Wednesday President Uhuru Kenyatta opened the parley via a video link where he stressed the centrality of tackling climate change.

He was in South Africa on official duty.