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Minister Kones decamps to Ruto's URP
URP leader William Ruto (right) during a news conference at the party's secretariat in Nairobi November 21, 2012. Mr Ruto welcomed Home Affairs assistant minister Beatrice Kones (left), who decamped from ODM
What you need to know:
- URP leader William Ruto says Ms Kones has joined the winning team.
Home Affairs Assistant minister Beatrice Kones has ditched the Orange Democrtatic Movement (ODM) for the United Republican Party (URP).
Ms Kones, who has been one of the remaining closes allies of Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Rift Valley was received by Eldoret North MP William Ruto at his presidential secretariat in Nairobi Wednesday.
Mr Ruto praised the Bomet MP, for decamping to his party saying that she had joined the “winning team".
"URP is the party to watch and (Ms) Kones is the last born in terms of joining us. Anyone who is not in URP is not on the winning team,” Mr Ruto said.
Ms Kones said she felt that URP was the party that would help her achieve the aspirations of her supporters once she is elected.
The URP also asked the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to explain to Kenyans how it is going to ensure that all elligible voters register while the Biometric Voter registration Kits are less than the number of polling stations.
The party also wants to know how the IEBC plans to ensure that all the voters who have to travel long distances to register are catered for.
“We know that there are 25,000 polling stations and there are only 15,000 BVR kits. We want to know how the IEBC is covering the remaining 10,000 stations. IEBC must ensure that it does not leave out any Kenyan who is elligible as a voter from the exercise,” Mr Ruto said.
The IEBC has recruited and trained over 30,000 clerks who will use 15,000 registration kits across 290 constituencies and 1,450 constituency assembly wards to register a minimum of 18 million voters in the next 30 days.
The Commission has said that the 15,000 kits are to be rotated be rotated in the 25,000 centers over the 30-day registration period.
Mr Ruto also asked President Kibaki and the country’s security forces to “deal decisively” with the rising insecurity in the country. He said it was unfortunate that Kenyans live in fear.
“The Commander in Chief and our security managers should know that when citizens are killed that is criminal but when security personel themselves are attacked and killed then that is a declaration of war,” Mr Ruto said.
