Seth Onyango, Clement Kamau, Anthony Mwangi, Mwangangi Mutuku and PSCU @peopledailyke
President Uhuru Kenyatta has for the second time in as many days urged Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka to abandon the Opposition and join his camp to position himself to team up with his deputy William Ruto for the 2022 election.
And National Super Alliance (Nasa) presidential candidate Raila Odinga moved into President Uhuru’s home county of Kiambu with the message that contrary to propaganda and fear-mongering peddled against him over the years, he was an all-inclusive leader who harbours no ill-will against people from the region.
It was a day of making forays into each other’s strongholds with cutting edge tactics, as Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto made witty pleas for votes in Raila’s running mate Kalonzo Musyoka’s home turf, while the former Prime Minister toured the President’s core support base marketing himself as a conciliator.
Uhuru told Kalonzo that the August election was as good as won by Jubilee and the only chance he has would be to work with the ruling party ready to form a coalition with Ruto in five years’ time.
The President castigated Raila as “all talk but no track record” and urged Kalonzo to abandon a losing ticket. “My brother Kalonzo. You know very well that the man of kitendawili (riddles) will take you no where.
I invite you again to come and work with us to bring services to the people of Ukambani,” said the President. “In 2022, you can team up with William (Ruto) because the current election is already a done deal,” Uhuru said, speaking at Matungulu, Machakos county.
Uhuru revisited the flopped Cord poll deal which should have allowed Kalonzo to vie for the presidency this year “had he (Raila) not reneged on the deal”.
The Head of State described Raila as inconsistent on promises, recalling that he had in 2013 threatened to sack members of the provincial administration had he made it to power, but he was now promising a pay increment for chiefs if elected.
“I am urging my brother Kalonzo not to trust,” Uhuru said. Ruto also waded into the debate saying that the former Vice President had, in principal, endorsed President Kenyatta’s re-election, when he said he had no problem with him but “had only a little problem with me”.
“Kalonzo has already said that he has no problem with President Kenyatta but he said he has a small problem with me. We can resolve that easily after elections,” said the DP amid cheers.
Uhuru said his administration is action-oriented and has always placed the interest of Kenyans before those of individual leaders. “There is a difference between politicians and leaders.
Leaders do not care about themselves but care about their people,” said the President. “The difference between us our opponents is that they are politicians but we are leaders and we offer leadership that changes the lives of Kenyans,” he added.
The President repeated his call to Kalonzo as he toured Masinga constituency at the start of his Machakos campaign. He said the Jubilee Administration has undertaken the first major works on the Yatta Canal that had been neglected since independence.
Uhuru spoke as he launched the construction of the Matuu-Ekalakala-Kaguku Road that will cost of Sh1.138 billion.
In Kiambu, Raila appealed to members of the Kikuyu community to eschew politics of division and support him, asserting he had the region’s best interest at heart.
Raila blamed sustained negative propaganda that he was anti-Kikuyu, saying: “I assure the people of this region they will be more secure under my presidency than under Jubilee,” he said.
Addressing the media before embarking on his campaign tour in several towns, the former premier said Raila-phobia had been flogged for long by enemies of the community.
“Kikuyus are Kenyans and they should not feel insecure if someone from another community becomes President. If I take power you (the community) will feel more secure and happier than you are,” he said.
Speaking later in Kiambu town, he said those spreading divisive claims were tribal, adding that his party would unite all communities for the sake of peace, harmony and development Raila who was flanked by ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi affirmed that he is not a tribal chief, noting that he and his late father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga are on record for throwing their weight behind two presidents from the Mt Kenya region (referring to Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and Mwai Kibaki).
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