URP plotting my downfall, Isaac Ruto claims

Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto has claimed that his own party, the United Republican Party (URP), is plotting his downfall over his continued defense of devolution.

Mr Ruto accused URP leaders of 'spreading propaganda’ about his use of public funds in Bomet County to turn the public against him to create grounds to remove him from office.

“I have heard the propaganda that URP senators and party leaders are spreading across the country yet the Auditor-General has not raised a single query about the use of public finances by my government. They should read the report and stop talking,” he said.

At the same time, Mr Ruto dismissed allegations that he was working with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in preparations for the 2017 elections saying the rumours had no basis.

Speaking at AIC Chemugeriet, Belgut Constituency in Kericho County, Mr Ruto said he was only working with Mr Odinga along with other leaders to protect devolution.

He has also accused the national government of trying to hoodwink Kenyans into believing that the devolved system of governance was not working so that it can collapse county governments within the next two or three years.

“A lot of misinformation is being peddled. The larger plan by some people is to start reducing budgetary allocations to counties and then finally cutting them off completely and reverting to the central system of governance,” he warned.

He announced that a meeting will be held on Friday this week in Nairobi, bringing together governors and all Members of County Assemblies around the country to discuss a wide range of issues including threats to devolution.

“We are meeting because we tired of getting threats from various quarters including threats of being thrown into jail. If we think devolution should be allowed to disappear, we will just resign and go home,” he added.

DEVOLUTION

He warned that devolution was under threat and unless something was done, it could be done away with just as it happened a few years after independence and called on Kenyans to stand firm in support of devolution.

He said it would be wrong for Kenya to revert to the central government and gave examples of Korea and Malaysia, saying the two countries had embarked on devolution the same time with Kenya and had sustained the same, which resulted in faster development.

“Fifty years down there is a whole world of difference between us and those countries. They have moved on and Kenya is still begging for aid. We must look back and see where the problem began,” he said.

Mr Ruto raised concerns that governors were being targeted for intimidation by the Senate, noting that key members of the council of governors have been summoned to appear before the Senate Committee on Finance and Commerce for alleged misappropriation of funds.

Mr Ruto, who is also the Chairman of Council of Governors, insisted that it was the duty of both the national and county governments to work for Kenyans and said he will not tire or be intimidated in his mission to ensure that adequate funding was given to county governments to enable them roll out development projects.

He said devolution belonged to all Kenyans as it is provided for in the Constitution and for the first time in five decades, the people of this country are witnessing enhanced economic development.

“I have only one agenda and that is to work for the people of Bomet County and ensure through my position as chair of governors that county governments are running without any glitch,” he said.

Mr Ruto also blasted the Senate for failing to abide by court orders and supported sentiments by Chief Justice Dr Willy Mutunga that nobody had the right to decide which court orders to abide by and which ones to ignore.