At least eight political parties have signed a pre-election deal with Deputy President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza ahead of his titanic battle with ODM leader Raila Odinga for the presidency in August this year.
The parties appended their signatures at a meeting held at Ngong Race Course on Tuesday, April 12, bringing to 12 the total number of political parties that have thrown their weight behind the former Eldoret North MP.
Kenya Kwanza principals William Ruto (UDA), Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), and his Ford Kenya counterpart Moses Wentangula witnessed the occasion.
The outfit is banking on wooing voters on the strength of the Bottom-up economic model, ‘pesa mfukoni’ and ‘kazi na pesa’ agendas that seek to uplift the ordinary Kenyan.
The team is expected to battle it out with Raila’s yet-to-be registered Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya which has more than 20 political parties in this year’s presidential duel.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, the Kenya Kwanza presidential flag bearer William Ruto pledged to turn around the country’s fortunes should he be elected the fifth president of Kenya.
“We are going to change the political foundation of the country. This journey is not about a person but the people of Kenya,” Ruto said.
Ruto further took a swipe at the Raila Odinga-led Azimio-OKA coalition saying it was an alliance formed by forcing members to join.
“This is the alliance of the willing, the alliance of the free. It’s about the people and changing the economy. That’s the difference with our competitors; their coalitions are of the intimidated, blackmailed, and coerced and about leaders sharing power,” William Ruto said.
Raila’s camp which has over 20 political parties is facing a major hurdle as some of the fringe parties are scrambling for accommodation in the Azimio la Umoja, a move that is threatening to cause a rift in the coalition.
