Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition party flag bearer Raila Odinga has been on record dismissing Deputy President William Ruto’s bottom-up economic blueprint saying it is misleading youths.
Raila has on several occasions been quoted saying the bottom-up economic model is unrealistic as it promises youths jobs of yesteryears in a fast-changing world.
In a move to give Ruto a run for his money, Raila has been rooting for a trickle-down economic model that has been in use since Kenya attained independence and which is based on government spending on projects as a way to release money into the economy.
This has prompted the 2022 presidential front runner Raila Odinga to come up with a ‘bottom-up’ like economic structure in the hunt for presidential votes, less than 40 days to the August 9, presidential contest.
Odinga thus promised to fund development in county-level administrative units through what he now terms as “bottom-up development.”
“We will have a Ward Fund which is what I call bottom-up so that we have developed at the grassroots,” the ODM leader said while drumming up support for his presidential bid in Garissa on Monday, June 27.
The video was instantly shared by Ruto ally and outgoing Tharaka Nthi Senator Kithure Kindiki in an apparent mockery of the ODM leader who has always demonised the bottom-up economic model.
Kithure said that bottom-up is the way to go and an idea whose time has come and even their competitors (Rail Odinga) agree with it.
In September 2021, Kivumbi.co.ke reported that the ODM leader accused Ruto’s bottom-up economic model of taking the country backward by trying to re-introduce and popularise outdated tools, used by our great ancestors.
“People who were promised digital jobs, who were promised knowledge-based economy, who were promised double-digit economic growth, are now being offered wheelbarrows and being told Kazi ni Kazi,” Odinga said.
