Gideon Moi puts graft lords on notice, as bid gets boost

 

Kanu Chairman, Gideon Moi addresses party delegates at Nyali in Mombasa County yesterday. He met over 300 delegates from Tana River County.[Omondi Onyango, Standard]

Kanu Chairman Gideon Moi has said that there will be no room for corrupt individuals once the party forms the next government.

Yesterday, the Baringo senator said the party would weed out corruption which has denied Kenyans services like health care and water.

He also proposed “ruthless and tough laws” against the corrupt, saying it should be made very expensive for people to engage in graft.

His presidential bid received a boost after leaders from Tana River, led by Interior Chief Administrative Secretary and former governor Hussein Dado, declared that they would support him.

“The Kanu manifesto does not condone graft, and we are going to do more than just jailing culprits. We are therefore going to deal with corrupt individuals ruthlessly,” he said.

Addressing party leaders and supporters from Tana River County at a Mombasa hotel, Gideon said public resources must be protected and directed towards supporting service delivery.

About 300 delegates led by Tana River County Kanu coordinator and aspiring women representative Amina Dika attended the meeting. Other leaders at the event included; Lamu Women Representative Ruweidha Mohamed and former Galole MP Hassan Dukicha.

The Kanu chairman reiterated that the party would continue working closely with friends in One Kenya Alliance (OKA).

He said Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga remained close to OKA and expressed confidence that they would be in one team.

“Kanu has many friends. It has Amani National Congress, Wiper and Ford-Kenya. But we also have ODM close to us. We are working together, but each party will maintain its own house,” he said.

Dado and Dukicha, who are in Jubilee Party, appeared to warm up to Kanu even as the grassroots leaders urged them to cross over. Dukicha, a senator aspirant, said he required time to consult with the people at the grassroots before responding to the request.

Dado dismissed Deputy President William Ruto’s bottom-up economic model, saying the concept was started by former President Daniel Moi and the late Simeon Nyachae in 1984/1985 through the District Focus for Rural Development.

“This is a model whose patent rights should go to the former President Moi and Nyachae. It is a concept that was tried, and it is not new to this country,” he said