Your vote will change Kenya, Deputy President Ruto tells youth
Deputy President William Ruto yesterday wound up his tour of Kisii County with an appeal to young people to come out in large numbers and enlist as voters.
Ruto, who was accompanied by several politicians from the county, asked the youth to take advantage of their numbers to elect credible leaders in next year’s election.
“The opportunity for you to make decisions on what kind of leaders you want in the next government is here.
You can only make those choices if you have the power of the vote,” he said.
Ruto said young people have the opportunity to change the direction of the country using their vote.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) yesterday launched the one-month registration drive.
During the campaign tour, Ruto promised to create jobs for young people if he succeeds President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“We will form the next government and ensure they have jobs,” he said.
New constituencies
The DP dismissed claims that the failure of the Building Bridges Initiative had denied Kenyans new constituencies, saying the IEBC has the powers to create new electoral units.
Present during the tour were Kisii Deputy Governor Joash Maangi, South Mugirango MP Silvanus Osoro, Kuria West MP Mathias Robi, Alpha Miruka (Bomachoge Chache), Shadrack Mose (Kitutu Masaba) and Joash Nyamoko.
Speaking in Etago, where he handed over school buses to Nyakembene and Bogichoncho secondary schools, the DP said if young people fail to register as voters, other people will make decisions about their future.
Elsewhere, Kisii Senator Sam Ongeri, Nyaribari Chache MP Richard Tong’i and Kisii Township MCA Kefa Mogaka have also urged residents to register as voters.
“I urge residents to register at nearest polling station where they will vote,” said Tong’i.
Meanwhile, the violence in the country over the weekend during Ruto’s visit has ignited a war of words between two MPs.
Bonchari’s Pavel Oimeke has termed his South Mugirango colleague Sylvanus Osoro’s remarks in Suneka town as malicious propaganda.
Oimeke said Osoro’s utterances — while on a campaign tour with Ruto — were meant to appease his master.
He was referring to a video circulating on social media in which Osoro is challenging Oimeke’s development record.
In a statement yesterday, Oimeke demanded that Osoro retracts his remarks and apologise to the people of Bonchari.
“The claims by Osoro were aimed at achieving his greed in political brokerage and appease his master.
He must know, I am not in competition with him and being slanderous, coughing lies and malicious propaganda is indecent and uncalled for,” Oimeke added.
But in response, Osoro dismissed Oimeke describing him as a busybody.
“He is a slow learner, and by now he should have learnt that violence is not the way to stop your political nemesis from selling his ideas,” he said. —Reporting by Alvin Mwangi, Robert Ochoro and George Kebaso
