Tuju warns over coalition deals
PHOTO | STEPHEN MUDIARI Presidential aspirant Raphael Tuju (left) chats with Ms Gladys Mutua, the wife of Pastor Steve Mutua at the Eagle Christian Church in Karen, Nairobi on December 2, 2012.
What you need to know:
- Mr Tuju on Sunday said it is important for politicians to form alliances based on public interest, rather than personal benefits
- The former Rarieda MP, who has been closely associated with Kenya National Congress party (KNC) presidential candidate Peter Kenneth said their talks are meant to develop the country
- According to Mr Tuju, Tuesday’s deadline is not “a matter of life and death” and they are also looking into other options available as they hold talks with other parties as well
Party of Action (Poa) presidential aspirant Raphael Tuju has warned that coalitions based on hate and fear will polarise the country more than it was during the last elections in 2007.
Mr Tuju on Sunday said it is important for politicians to form alliances based on public interest, rather than personal benefits.
“Having coalitions based on who we hate or fear will lead us to the next elections more polarized than we were in 2007,” he said.
He appealed to other politicians getting into alliances to put Kenyans’ interests first so that the pacts formed do not marginalize some parts of the country.
“What is important is to have alliances based on hope, to deal with real issues affecting the country,” he said.
The former Rarieda MP, who has been closely associated with Kenya National Congress party (KNC) presidential candidate Peter Kenneth said their talks are meant to develop the country.
However, he added they might not sign any agreement before Tuesday, which is the deadline for submitting coalition agreements to the registrar of political parties.
According to Mr Tuju, Tuesday’s deadline is not “a matter of life and death” and they are also looking into other options available as they hold talks with other parties as well.
“The way Kenyans can work together is not just through written coalitions. Certain parties can dissolve and join others and we are looking at all options,” said Mr Tuju.
He was speaking at the Eagles Christian Church in Karen, Nairobi, where he vowed to abolish Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) examinations if elected president in the coming General Election.
He blamed the exams, which examines pupils to determine whether they can proceed to secondary school, as the cause of formation of rebel groups such as Mungiki and MRC.
Mr Tuju said more focus should be put on building enough classrooms to absorb all pupils who sit for KCPE exams, rather than using the tests to lock out a large number of them.
“It is disastrous for a country to have 1.2 million uneducated youths every three years and yet we can build enough classrooms,” he said.
