Kibaki espoused bottom-up economy, let’s embrace him: Ruto

Nairobi, Kenya, April 30- Deputy President William Ruto has said that the country should draw lessons from former President the late Mwai Kibaki’s exemplary leadership while celebrating him as the “father of modern-day Kenya.

In his tribute to Kibaki, Ruto said that the former Head of State laid a stable foundation that helped transform the country.

“Mwai Kibaki planted the seed of what has become the greatest transformation of our infrastructure under him and under our fourth President Uhuru Kenyatta,” he said, and added that “in the demonstration of the bottom-up [economic model] we can learn from Mwai Kibaki.”

Ruto is campaigning on the platform of the bottom-up economic model in his quest to succeed his boss President Kenyatta who favours Opposition leader Raila Odinga.

Some of the notable projects undertaken during Kibaki’s reign include the construction of the Thika Super Highway, the Isiolo-Moyale Highway, and the introduction of free primary education among others.

Kibaki was also the brain behind the introduction of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) in 2003 and he oversaw the promulgation of the new constitution in 2010.

“We must be inspired by Kibaki, we must keep the doors of opportunity for many more children in this village (Othaya) in other villages in Kenya inspired by Kibaki that they too can be great in their nation if they work hard and if they pray,’’ Ruto said.

He went on to say that aside from the country’s transformation, Kibaki did not forget the ordinary Mwananchi singling out the Boda Boda sector which he said has provided employment to over 1 million Kenyans.

Ruto said that Kibaki made the Boda Boda sector zero-rated providing a livelihood to millions of Kenyans.

He further praised the former Head of State for the transformation of the education sector and agriculture in the country.

DP Ruto said that it was during Kibaki’s tenure that the first fertilizer subsidy was introduced in the country which led to the reduction of fertilizer prices.

The Deputy President further said that the former Head of State resolved the issue of the backlog of university students by introducing the double-intake program.

“When I was promoted to the ministry of Higher education, and we had a backlog of university students under his guidance we managed to have a double intake that henceforth removed the backlog that students had to wait for at least two years for them to go to the university after they complete their high school education,” he stated.