Raila Hits Out at President Ruto for Failing to Honor Campaign Promises

Azimio La Umoja party leader Raila Odinga has hit out at President Ruto for failing to honor the promises he made to Kenyans during his campaigns.

Addressing the press at Jevanjee Gardens on Tuesday, Odinga said the country is already feeling the pain of bad leadership, citing the high food and fuel prices.

“I know Kenyans are suffering in pain. During campaigns, their promises were many; tutapunguza unga kutioka 200 hadi shilingi 70. Lakini bei imeenda juu na bei ya mafuta inaenda juu. They promised Huslter fund, ile ya kina mama inaonekana?” Odinga posed.

“They said they needed only 100 days na sisi tumekaa kando tuwapee nafasi tuone yale ambayo watafanya. Mimi nimekaa si kwa sababu nimeridhika, hapana, ni kwa sababu nimeona maovu yanaongoza sasa na ukweli umerudi nyuma. Gharama ya unga, bei ya mafuta, kodi ya nyumba imepanda. Kila kitu kimepanda lakini mapato ya wananchi yamebaki pale pale.”

Odinga, who lost to Ruto in the August 9th presidential race, also accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of sidelining some of the voters in the opposition in their delivery of services.

“Juzi niliona yule naibu wa rais akisema sasa ni wakati wetu wa kukula. Wale ambao hawakutupigia kura wakae kando. Ata wale ambao hawakupiga kura wanatoa ushuru,” Odinga added.

He also termed President Ruto’s move to subsidize the cost of fertilizer as a plot to loot public funds, claiming that the recently imported fertilizer was donated by the Russian government.

“They said they would lower the fertiliser prices. Sasa wamepewa na Urusi mbolea bure, alafu wanaanza kusema ati wameteremsha bei ya mbolea hadi Sh3500. Nani wamelipwa hio Sh3500? Si ni hao wenyewe?"

"Fertiliser ambayo ilikuja ni ya mwaka ujao. Season ya kupanda itakuja mwaka ujao. Ukitumia hio mbolea, gharama ya kupanda ambayo itashuka ni ya 2023. Mpaka tuwe na mbinu za kuteremsha bei ya maisha wakati huu," he added.

Odinga also faulted President Ruto administration’s move to withdraw the fuel and unga subsidies introduced by his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta, saying the intervention was meant to cushion Kenyans from the high cost of living occasioned by the pandemic and Russia-Ukraine conflict.

“Uhuru was doing what other nations were doing across the world, due to COVID, a lot of countries introduced subsidies to cushion Kenyans from the high prices. This government imesema its unsustainable. We want the cost of living to go down. Baada ya dhiki ni faranja. Msikufe moyo, mimi sijakufaa moyo."