Ruto to UDA delegates: Time for elections is now

By Peter Ochieng

President William Ruto has told United Democratic Alliance (UDA) delegates to prepare for elections, ruling out the possibility of postponement.

Elections for UDA party officials, right from the grassroots has been planned for December, 2023.

Speaking during the party's first National Governing Council (NGC) meeting at the Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi, Ruto said they quickly joined hands ahead of the 2022 polls, meaning that no one was elected to hold any position in the party he leads.

Some leaders who speak before him called for the postponement of the elections, but the president ruled out such a move.

"In this party, you all know we made last-minute arrangements and God helped us, we succeeded. All of us, including me as party leader, no one elected me. Even Riggy G (deputy president Rigathi Gachagua) and Cleophas Malala, the secretary general. Now the owners of the party will have a say. This party has its owners and they have to speak," said Ruto.

"I have heard people saying maybe this is not the time to hold elections and we should have waited, we cannot hold party election when we are near the general elections, that will confuse us,” he added.

On a different matter, he 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 cash for the importation.