Ruto: Stipends won’t cure youth unemployment
Deputy president William Ruto yesterday dismissed Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga’s pledge that he will give Sh6,000 to unemployed youths as a monthly stipend, saying it will not address challenges facing them as well as small businesses.
Speaking at Kombani in Matuga, Kwale county Ruto said the Hustler movement has created panic, forcing some leaders to form tribal groupings with the intention of fighting him ahead of 2022.
Ruto said the movement aims to change the country’s economic model from grassroots as opposed to the current up-downwards benefitting few individuals.
He said the country’s priority was not change of the constitution but addressing unemployment among the youth as well as economic empowerment of small-scale traders.
“If he gives the unemployed youths Sh6,000, what about the mama mboga and the others who will address their economical challenges, who will empower them?” he asked.
Ruto noted that the only solution for all the low income earners in country is the bottom-up economy agenda which does not specify on the certain groups it will assist.
“Our bottom-up economic agenda is all inclusive it does not specify on which groups of people will benefit, It will benefit all the low income earners in the country,” he continued.
Ruto also criticised the Handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila saying it had disrupted the Jubilee government agenda.
“What was the handshake uniting yet it has come to disrupt Jubilee, Nasa and the Big Four agenda. The handshake was just a mess,” he said.
Ruto is at the Coast for a five-day tour aimed to counter a similar trip by Raila barely two weeks ago.
“Our 2022 general election is just 10 months away. Make sure you elect leaders who will bring solutions to your problems especially your economical challenges.
As you can see the other group’s major interest is on seats. Who will be the prime minister and who will be so and so while us in UDA we want to know how the bottom -up economy agenda will assist the local mwananchi,” Ruto said.
He added that there will be a free and fair party nominations for all the aspirants who will be vying for various seats through United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
Kwale 2022 gubernatorial aspirants present in the function were Deputy governor Fatuma Achani and Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) engineer Lung’anzi Chai.
The deputy governor who had been linked to ODM surprised many asked local residents
to support DP Ruto’s presidential ambitions since his agenda is the only solution for local mwananchi in the country.
“The only solution for all the Kenyans economic challenges is through the bottom-up economy agenda so let us all support DP Ruto,” Achani said.
Achani also said that she will vie for the Kwale gubernatorial seat through UDA ticket and will go for nominations with other aspirants.
“ I will vie for the gubernatorial seat on UDA seat come 2022 and my president will be William Ruto,” she said.
Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa urged Coastal region locals to change their political focus and embrace Ruto’s agenda.
Leaders present were Msambweni MP Feisal Bader, Lungalunga Khatib Mwashetani and Taita Taveta Lydia Haika and former Taita Taveta governor John Mruttu.
The DP will today address a meeting at Gongoni in Magarini constituency before returning Ukunda in Msambweni. He is expected to end his in Lamu on Tuesday.
Ruto, said it’s was time leaders discouraged what he described as politics of conmanship.
The Deputy President said when he supported former Prime minister Raila Odinga in 2007 and President Uhuru in 2002, 2013 and 2017, he was a good man’.
Ruto said he was now surprised that the same people who used to praise him when he supported them have ganged up against him.
“When I supported Raila Odinga to become Prime minister and later my friend Uhuru Kenyatta to become President, I was a good man. But now that I want to help hustlers, I have suddenly turned out to be a bad man,” said Ruto.
He said that the country’s priority was not change of the Constitution but addressing unemployment among the youth as well as economic empowerment of small scale traders.
“2022 competition will be about those pushing for the change of Constitution to create positions for few individuals and us who want to change the economic model to economically empower millions of Kenyans,” he said.
Mruttu said the economic model that is being proposed by UDA would transform the lives of ordinary citizens.
“I am associating myself with this party because it’s committed to addressing challenges facing ordinary Kenyans,” he said.
