Matatu owners, boda boda support Uhuru re-election

President Uhuru Kenyatta’s re-election bid has received a major boost after matatu owners in the country agreed to support him.

Speaking to the Nation on Tuesday, Matatu Owners Association (MOA) National Coordinator Albert Karagacha said that the association’s National Governing Council (NGC) had agreed to support the President in his bid for second term on August 8.

“We are investors and not politicians and we can see the kind of investment that is already coming in. We want somebody who will take us in the right direction,” said Mr Karagacha.

He said that the endorsement had been rubber-stamped by all the secretariats in the 47 counties and that plans were underway for a meeting to officially endorse Mr Kenyatta’s re-election.

Mr Karagacha said that the decision was arrived at following the support the President has been giving the association since he came into the office in 2013 like making it easier for doing business.

He said that Mr Kenyatta has been attending their annual general meetings and that he has been instrumental in finding solutions to problems bedevilling the industry.

“We have mobilised our people and we are going to do grassroots campaign using our matatus in the whole country. We are more than enough to give him more 10000 votes. We will make sure that he gets another five years,” he said.

MOA chairman Simon Kimutai, while speaking to the Nation on Tuesday by phone, did not confirm or deny whether a meeting had happened where they agreed on the presidential candidate to support during the August polls but said that they already have a candidate and it was only a matter of time before they make the declaration public.

“We already agreed on who we will support in the next elections even though we do not want to let the cat out of the bag now.

“We will endorse somebody and we will make a declaration soon and declare our proper stand when the time comes,” said Mr Kimutai.

However, he said he was aware that some members may not entirely support the decision as they have their own preferred candidates.

“Majority of matatu owners will endorse the candidate but you know we have people who vote differently,” he said.

Elsewhere, boda boda national chairman Mr Kimani wa Nduthi said that they have also agreed to support President Kenyatta’s second term bid saying that they had a meeting with their leaders across the 47 counties and have agreed to call a delegates meeting for official announcement.

“He exempted us from paying Value Added Tax when he was Finance Minister which led to the increase in the number of people with boda bodas. Those who used to hire boda bodas are now getting money to buy their own. He has also made NHIF cheaper to our members,” said Mr Kimani.