UDA Party Officially Endorses Ruto as its Presidential Flagbearer

Deputy President William Ruto has officially been confirmed as the presidential candidate of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party in the August 9th elections.

Ruto, who is seeking to succeed President Kenyatta, was endorsed as the party’s leader and presidential flagbearer during the UDA National Delegates Conference (NDC) at Kasarani Indoor Arena on Tuesday.

Speaking after taking an oath to accept his endorsement, Ruto pledged to accommodate every Kenyan if he forms the next government.

"This is the party for every Kenyan, from every walk of life. Here, you won’t be asked about the name of your father. I am very proud to be given this responsibility to be the party leader. I will do my best to deliver on the party's ideals," said Ruto.

Ruto noted that the Jubilee Party lost focus after the 2017 elections, describing President Kenyatta’s second term as a waste. He added that the current government is made up of individuals who believe that they 'own Kenya'. 

"Those who remained loyal to our founding vision within Jubilee were shunned, hounded, threatened and then persecuted. This is how we lost four years that would have gifted the brilliant blossoming of a beautiful   dream which inspired millions of Kenyans in 2013," said Ruto.

"President Kenyatta told me he needed space to work on his personal legacy. I obliged and this led to me being placed at the periphery. But during this 4 years, I was way, I was able to talk to people in the villages and listen to them so that I can do what they want.”

The deputy president also took the chance to highlight some of the achievements made by the Jubilee government including the construction of 700km long Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), 10,000 km of roads, and the connection of six million people to electricity.

"We also constructed over 150 technical teaching institutions. We rolled out a comprehensive UHC to complete a task of transforming Kenya that we were assigned in 2013," he said.