Deputy President William Ruto on Wednesday officially welcomed Keroche Breweries CEO Tabitha Karanja to United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
She will contest for the Nakuru County Senatorial seat.
The CEO was introduc
ed during a joint rally with Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi and his FORD Kenya counterpart Moses Wetang’ula at the ASK show ground, Nakuru.
Tabitha said that she had listen to Ruto’s ideology and talked to her supporters who urged her to join UDA.
Tabitha said that she had talked to her supporters who urged her to join UDA.Meanwhile, in a statement by DP’s Head of Communications in his presidential campaign Former Citizen TV news anchor Hussein Mohammed said Tabitha is the personification of a hustler that has worked her way from the bottom up.
Noting that: ” Today’s episode, is another of many more to come, simply because our coalition is with the people,” said Hussein.
The statement further said the DP is the embodiment of an inclusive, transformative and strategic leadership style that attracts Kenyans with similar intent.
” His bottom-up economic model speaks of his belief in prioritizing and empowering majority Kenyans suffering endemic economic marginalization as a result of ‘Top-Down’ policies that have had little and negative impact on their economic and social well-being,” added the statement.
Hussein said UDA promises an economic revolution anchored on the Constitution; taking resources down to the people that really need it.
” It is this belief in an economic model that negates privilege and rewards effort to deliver broad-based shared prosperity that is attracting Kenyans to the UDA dream. UDA and its partners do not believe in entitlement but we believe in equal opportunity, we do not believe in ‘madharau’, we believe in respect and we believe in people power, NOT elite power, ” he added.
Keroche Breweries CEO Tabitha Karanja
On Thursday, the DP takes his campaign to Kiambu County.
He is set to begin his tour at by visiting Ùthìrù Gìchagi, Kabete Constituency at 10am then head to Kìnoo, Kikuyu Constituency at 11am where he will commission Mama Ngina Primary, HGM Secondary and Kìnoo Shopping Centre.
He will then proceed to Zambezi, Kikuyu Constituency at noon, then Kiambaa/Mùguga Market, Kabete Constituency at 1pm thereafter Kabuku Centre, Limuru Constituency at 2pm.
He will then proceed to Ngecha Shopping Centre, Limuru Constituency at 3pm.
The DP will then head to Wangigi town, Kabete Constituency at 4pm then finally conclude his tour in Kikuyu town, Kikuyu Constituency at 5pm.
The Office of Registrar Political Parties (ORPP) has kicked off stakeholders’ forums across the country to align political parties to poll regulations ahead of the August general election aimed at ensuring peace and smooth execution of the electoral process.
The participants of the forums include IEBC, political parties’ representatives, security organs, and Civil Society Organizations among others.
Speaking to the Media during political parties and stakeholders’ meeting at Kibaoni in Kilifi, Assistant Registrar of political parties Florence Birya said it is their responsibility to ensure that political parties’ representatives understand what they should do during this political season.
“We have arranged meetings in all 47 counties and we will be moving around to work with ORPP field officials so that we can have similar sessions. The main purpose in these sessions is to ensure that we hold talks, we explain to the stakeholders especially political parties what preparations we have set as an office to support the political course,” she explained.
She added that they are highlighting the plans they have put in place as an office to be able to cooperate with stakeholders especially those who are most involved in preparing for the upcoming elections this year in August.
Stakeholders in a session during political parties and stakeholders meeting at Kibaoni social hall in Kilifi.
“We intend to explain to the officials and political party representatives the important things to consider so that they can be legally binding as they continue to prepare,” she added.
IEBC Kilifi County representative Joseph Mwafondo applauded the support from ORPP saying they are working closely to ensure data for political parties such as party lists and specimen signatures are correct and verified.
The office of the county commissioner will also play a key role in ensuring the political activities are carried out successfully by strengthening security organs in their regions.
During the meeting, Assistant County Commissioner James Oleseney on behalf of the office of County Commissioner urged the concerned parties to work together in harmony to ensure a peaceful electioneering period.
“I urge every one of the stakeholders to work together to ensure that the upcoming exercise of August 2022 will be a peaceful and stable election”, he said during an interview with reporters.
Hon. Junet Mohamed, Minority Whip National Assembly of Kenya Member of Parliament for Suna East Constituency
The 2022 general elections are approaching with speed and tension is building across the country. Kenyans are eagerly waiting to see how Azimio la Umoja Team and the newly formed ANC UDA party alliance.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has raised temperatures after allegedly promising Western region Leaders that all projects promised will be fulfilled.
Kenyans are growing anxious Ahead of the 2022 general elections and the recently witnessed political violence has been raising concerns.
Musalia Mudavadi and Deputy President William Ruto have been campaigning and tomorrow they are expected to hold the unseen unstoppable tsunami in Nakuru.
The majority of Kenyans are eagerly waiting but according to Janet Mohammed has broken the silence with a message where he stated that Azimio la Umoja Team is the only future for Kenyans.
With time moving with speed things are getting hotter. June Mohammed stated that DP William Ruto and Hon Musalia Mudavadi won’t see the light of the statehouse but they will be in the cold come 2022.
MP Jeremiah Kioni has today rubbished off the UDA group as having campaigned using propaganda for the last four years. That has been the case since Raila went for the handshake together with president Uhuru Kenyatta.
Kioni spoke on a morning tv show with TV47. Kioni who is pro-AzimioAzimio Group claims that they have not yet hit the ground running to campaign for their candidate. In the coming election, their candidate will be Raila Odinga since Jubilee chose not to field a candidate this time. This is also from instructions by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The next six months will see heated political scenarios across the country. Also, different regroupings and alliances will be seen especially after the party nominations. It is usually at this point that most people who feel discontent move to other parties.
Uhuru has not yet publicly or directly told his people to vote for Raila, but there are clear indications that he is the preferred candidate.
The Mt Kenya Foundation (MKF) now says that nothing will change its mind with regards to its plan to make ODM leader Raila Odinga President.
The foundation, also known as Mt Kenya Tycoons, brings together rich and influential individuals from Central Kenya with an interest in politics.
They have lately been working closely with ODM leader Raila Odinga, a leading contender in the race, despite criticism from some of his opponents.
But it’s Director Githinji Kiragu on Tuesday said that the decision has been made and there are no chances of the foundation engaging the reverse gear.
“We have in no doubt decided that Azimio is the way forward for the future prosperity of this country. This is a divine nation and we have to,” he said at the Safari Park Hotel as is quoted by The Standard.
Kiragu added that the foundation will now ensure that Raila succeeds President Uhuru Kenyatta, which should come as bad news for his competitors.
Kiragu stated that they will see to it that Raila ascends to power, after identifying him as the best man to steer the country to prosperity in the future.
“We will ensure that we fulfill this mission in solidarity,” he added, a few months after the MKF endorsed Raila at the same venue.
This now comes as bad news for the likes of Deputy President William Ruto, who have been accusing the foundation of trying to interfere in the election.
Kiragu’s declaration that they will ensure that Raila wins means that Ruto might have a bigger job to do, considering the financial muscles members of the foundation are believed to have.
The DP has been using Raila’s association with the team to campaign against him, terming him a project of the rich whose main intention is to protect the rich and not the interests of every Kenyan.
Tongeren constituency lawmaker Eseli Simiyu has noted that president Uhuru Kenyatta is disappointed with Musalia Mudavadi’s move to team up with William Ruto.
For a long time, the president had been wooing both Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi to join hands with Raila Odinga to form the next government.
In a much-publicized event, the former deputy prime minister decided to launch his presidential campaign but at the same time teamed up with William Ruto. Both politicians have been claiming to go it alone all the way. It’s just a matter of time and we will see if one of them will deputize the other.
Eseli Simiyu was speaking on a morning Tv show on TV47. With Mudavadi having distanced himself from working with Azimio ever again, Raila will now have to look for alternative ways to get the Luhya votes. Of course, he has always been voted for massively in the region even without Musalia. Time will tell.
ODM leader Raila Odinga and his handshake partner Uhuru Kenyatta are now being warned against any plan to propose and push Azimio Bill in the legislative houses.
The warning which comes as advice has come from one of their top true ally, City Lawyer Donald Kipkorir who is much certain that the bill will bring more harm to them than positive impacts.
From his legal point of view in matters of politics, the Azimio Bill will probably give a lifeline to their opponents.
Instead, what they need in this plan is a properly drafted contract under the Political Parties Act which may be satisfactory to all.
This will lead to the transformation of the Azimio la Umoja movement to a political party after the emergence of ODM and Jubilee led by Uhuru.
But for the Azimio Bill, the handshake duo needs to abandon it for their good as it may give a lifeline to their vibrant political opponents.
Garissa County government has disbursed bursaries amounting to Sh40 million to 1,749 needy students in tertiary institutions.
The 40 million tranches are part of the Sh100 million scholarship kitty set aside by the county government for this financial year.
Among the beneficiaries is Garissa University which was allocated Sh6.9 million, Garissa Medical Training College Sh1.6 million, North Eastern Polytechnic Sh600 000, and Orma University Sh3.2 million.
While issuing the bursary cheques to principals and heads of institutions at Garissa FTC, Governor Ali Korane said that all sub-counties in Garissa were considered in a fair disbursement where bursary committees representing each sub-county were drawn from a grassroots level.
Korane regretted that paying fees for most people in the county has always been a challenge due to high poverty levels.
He said the vicious cycle of drought had pushed many parents into poverty making it hard for them to afford education for their children.
“Most of our people are poor and cannot afford to pay the school fees. As a government, we are committed to ensuring that we improve the literacy levels in this county by investing in education,” Korane said.
The governor further said that the lack of adequate teachers was a major challenge to the performance of education in the region.
He urged young people from the county to prioritize teaching profession careers to overcome the challenges of the lack of teachers in the region.
At least 2.5 million Kenyans are in dire need of relief food after back to back seasons of rain failure, with the government assuring that no one will die of hunger.
Public Service, Gender, Social Protection, Arid, and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) Cabinet Secretary Margaret Kobia said they are working with development partners, embassies and other like-minded individuals to come up with the necessary interventions to arrest the hunger situation in the country.
Speaking after flagging off the distribution of 340 tons of food supply from the Kuwait government in Thika town today, Prof Kobia said about 23 counties are extremely affected by the hunger, but assured that interventions have been put in place to mitigate the situation.
She said among the most affected counties are Marsabit, Turkana, Samburu, Wajir and Garissa.
“The government is doing a lot to respond to the challenges of drought. The number of those affected is high and that is why we continue to urge our development partners, NGOs and other friendly nations to intervene. We shall make sure no Kenyan will die of hunger,” she said.
Some of the government interventions, she said, include the release of Sh8.5 billion this month towards vulnerable families through the Inua Jamii programme.
Government has also released Sh400 million as bursaries to children in boarding schools especially in Form-one and who have not been able to pay their school fees because of poverty.
Another Sh13 million has been given towards nutrition to children in ASAL counties, CS Kobia said.
She further added that the Kenya Meat Commission has been given the necessary resources to undertake livestock offtake to reduce risks of livestock deaths because of the drought.
While urging residents to sell their livestock to reduce more deaths, the CS said the livestock will be slaughtered and distributed to locals as food.
She added that the government is also working to have resilient programmes to reduce perennial reliance on relief food in such areas.
Some of the programmes include drilling boreholes for irrigation, having a drought fund to help in interventions, putting up irrigation schemes, connecting residents to roads and electricity as well as having a school feeding programme among learners in the ASAL.
On the distribution of the relief food, the CS said they will be on the ground to ensure the food is given in a manner respecting integrity.
“Only those affected are the ones who will get it so that the food does not go to the wrong hands,” she said.
Kuwait Ambassador to Kenya Qusai AL Farhan said the bond between the two countries is strong and that they will offer more assistance if needed.
He said the food will be distributed to 6,300 residents in ASALs and will take them over two months.
“The connection between the two countries is too strong. When President Uhuru Kenyatta appealed for food donations to help mitigate against drought, Kuwait did not hesitate to help,” he said.
Among the food items distributed include rice, cooking oil, maize, sugar and flour.
ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs CS Joe Mucheru has challenged the youth to engage themselves fully in peacebuilding efforts for the sake of national development.
Speaking in Migori where he graced the second National Student Convention on Youth, Peace, and Election at Mabera Technical and Vocational College, Kuria West Sub County, Mucheru noted that the country cannot develop if there was no peace.
The CS called on the young people to take advantage of their numerical strength and make a difference in the country by preaching peace and unity rather than politics of division.
He further underscored the role universities and colleges were playing in propagating peace and unity in the country through their Universities and Colleges Students’ Peace Association of Kenya (UCSPAK).
Mucheru affirmed that the association had created a platform for peace in institutions of higher learning to ensure that youths have a voice, adding that without peace and mutual interaction from the youth fraternity, the country cannot move forward.
“In the past, peace and university students could rarely be mentioned in the same breath. Indeed, change has happened,” he said.
At the same time, Mucheru asked the youth to seek elective positions to enable them to embark on a journey of making meaningful gains for themselves and the country.
“As I have stated earlier, you have the largest stake in this country as you constitute 75.1 percent of our population,” he added.
The CS also hailed the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) for funding the noble initiative, saying it was an affirmation and acknowledgment of the important role the youth continues to play in nation-building.
Universities have been referred to as the melting pots of culture, said the CS, explaining that UCSPAK has brought on board various youth across the country and enabled them to blend culturally and socially.
He added that the convention will enable the youth to develop different viable resolutions, which would be key in the forthcoming general election.
The CS said he was looking forward to having the action plan emanating from the forum for consideration, planning, and eventual implementation for the betterment of the Kenyan youth.
Mucheru pointed out that the 2010 Constitution opened up a space of political freedom that youth should utilize for their better tomorrow.
“Youths in the past have been used for political scores but I am happy to say that the youth today are elites who can change their destiny through voting for capable leaders, he added.
Mucheru noted that youths tend to suffer the most when violence occurs, thus he impressed upon the young people to be the ambassadors of peace and utilize their numbers to elect their fellow youth.
At the same time, the CS acknowledged government programs such as the Kenya Youth Empowerment Opportunities Project (KYEOP) and Ajira Digital that are geared towards empowering the youth and women countrywide.
He said that youth will continue to be supported to maximize their potential and become the country’s pillar of economic development.
Speaking at the same event, the Chairman of the Commission for University Education (CUE), Prof Chacha Nyaigoti Chacha, said the youth must prioritize peace in their life and guard against being used by politicians to cause chaos during the electioneering period.
Prof Chacha urged the youth to register as voters in large numbers to participate in choosing good leaders for the country.
On his part, The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Dr. Stephen Jackson, said that it was a human right of every young person to be empowered so that he/she can have a positive contribution to change.
He acknowledged that elections have changed the world and it’s only through peaceful polls that meaningful change can be realized.
Dr. Jackson noted that many young people are trapped by unemployment aspect and end up being manipulated easily by politicians into violence and crime.
The coordinator urged the youth to always have hope and utilize every small opportunity presented to them.
He called on youths to register as voters because elections can only happen if there are voters.
Dr. Jackson specifically encouraged youth leaders to mobilize their fellow youth to register and vote.
He noted that Kenya needed a peaceful transition and the youth was the vaccine for the peaceful progression. The UN official said that youths are the ones that will determine their future through better transformation, radical and peaceful elections.
He said that the UN will be at every step to ensure that they walk with the country to have peaceful elections.
The Chairperson of the Kenya University Dean of Student Association, (KUDA), Mr. Mohamed Adan, asked the youth leaders to mobilize their fellowyouths to take up the responsibility of registering.
Adan who is also the Dean of Students at Masai Mara University noted that the youth should stand up and register to surpass the IEBC set targeted.
In attendance was the IEBC Director for Migori County, Charles Mutai, who said that youths makeup 75 percent of the population and therefore can shape the destiny of the county.
Mutai who was representing the IEBC Chairperson, Wafula Chebukati, called upon all the stakeholders to join hands in ensuring that youths register as voters.
He noted that the IEBC had invested a lot of money but youths were still reluctant to come out in large numbers to register.
The IEBC Coordinator called upon all the stakeholders especially the political class to come out and enlighten the youth on the importance of voting.
The forum was also graced by the Migori County Commissioner, Michael Mwangi Meru, and Kuria West MP, Mathias Robi, among other senior government officials.