Ruto advises Kamba leaders to stop wrangles

Deputy President William Ruto has asked Ukambani leaders to stop wrangling, saying political duels in the area are undermining development. He told the leaders to instead prioritise serving people.

He said the government is committed to serving Kenyans irrespective of their political affiliation and that it is the constitutional right of Kenyans to access government services regardless of their voting pattern in the last General Election. 

Mr Ruto was speaking in Mwingi town yesterday when he presided over a fundraiser for 410 women’s groups from  Kitui at Nuu Market in Mwingi Central where he addressed leaders from 16 districts in the county.

Accompanied by, among others, Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinnet and acting Deputy Inspector-General Joel Kitili, he inspected the construction of Nuu Police Station and Nuu Technical Training Institute.

The DP said there is a need for leaders from the greater Ukambani area to cooperate among themselves and with the government for the sake of development.

He said: “Politics of 2013 should not be a stumbling block to the development of this region. Let us avoid discrimination based on tribe or political party because we are all Kenyans”.

Mr Ruto said he and President Uhuru Kenyatta vowed not to discriminate against any Kenyan on account of their political alignment when they entered office.

He said: “I want to assure all Kenyans that we shall take development to all corners of this country whether they voted for us or for the Opposition. This is our obligation towards all Kenyans that we, the leadership of this county, will not shy from”.

He continued: “There are no Kenyans for the government and others for the opposition. Those peddling misinformation that there were government people and opposition people are being mischievous”.

The DP said that time for politicking ended with the conclusion of the last General Election. He said it was now time for development.

“Time for politics will come in the next electoral cycle, now let us concentrate on development matters,” he said. 

He stated: “We in government equally recognise all the elected leaders as the legitimately elected leaders of the people, whether they are in government or in the opposition and are ready to work with them, to build one progressive united country, Kenya”.

Mwingi Central MP Joe Mutambu said Kamba people will continue supporting the government in its development programmes and that members of his community would like to be in the mainstream government where they stand to benefit, and not follow opposition politics blindly.

Mr Mutambu said: ”I will continue to support the government in spite of tags that am sly or not conformist to local leadership. We want politics of development, not opposition politics that does not help us as a community”.

He criticised some leaders from the area, who he said had given themselves roles of negotiating for the Akamba community from big hotels.

The MP said any negotiation must be people-driven.

“The people should chart their own destiny,” he said.