President Ruto ‘throws Malala under the bus’

By Peter Ochieng 

Leaders of Kenya Kwanza Alliance affiliate parties can finally breathe a sigh of relief, after president William Ruto’s Friday assurance.

Addressing hundreds of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) delegates during the parties’ first ever National Governing Council (NGC) meeting at the Bomas of Kenya, Ruto said Kenya Kwanza’s affiliate parties will not be forced to fold, and join UDA ahead of the 2027 general elections.

UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala has been pushing for the parties, among them Ford Kenya and Amani National Congress (ANC) to fold. But that debate is over, at least for now owing to the president’s remarks.

“They are those who will decide to fold and join us but they are others who will decide on how we will associate with them. We will not be dictators and tell them this and that is how we will relate,” Ruto said.

“All we can tell them is that it is good if they join us but we can’t say that its a must. We want the permission of the National Delegates Conference to talk with them so that we convince them to join us and be one strong national political party.”

“Those who have issues with the merger we will see how we will associate with them,” added the Head of State. Over 10 political parties joined forces with Ruto’s UDA ahead of the August, 2022 polls.

Besides Ford Kenya and ANC, others are Economic Freedom Party (EFP), The Service Party (TSP), Umoja Maendeleo Party, Tujibebe Wakenya, Chama Cha Kazi (CCK), Communist Party of Kenya (CPK), Devolution Party of Kenya (DPK) and Farmers Party, amongst others.

On a different matter, Ruto said his administration will not privatize the port of Mombasa, days after Mombasa governor Abulswamad Nassir warned against the idea.

"Privatization of the Mombasa Port will not happen when we are in government, I said that when I assumed office, Port operations would be returned to Mombasa from Nairobi and we did that. I want to assure you that we shall expand it to create job opportunities because it has the ability to serve South Sudan, DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda."

In addition, he announced plans by the government to import duty-free yellow maize in a bid to alleviate the high cost of living. He said through the Treasury, his administration has already allocated money for the importation.