Deputy President William Ruto has decentralised his meetings to eight regions in what is seen as a strategy to build grassroots bases ahead of the 2022 General Election.
Since the ban on public rallies was imposed to curb the spread of Covid-19, the DP has been meeting supporters at his Nairobi office and his rural home in Sugoi, Uasin Gishu county.
In the meetings held at his official residence in Karen, Ruto has hosted huge delegations from Nairobi, Muranga, Kiambu, Nyeri, Kirinyaga and Kajiado.
On Friday, the DP will be in Mombasa for two days of marathon meetings. He is expected to host elected, religious, community, youth and professional leaders from all the six coastal counties of Taita Taveta, Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Lamu and Tana River.
The Coast region has traditionally supported ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Nyali MP Mohamed Ali told the Star that Ruto was going to meet people at the Coast and listen to them.
“It will be a big entourage when Ruto arrives here. It’s basically a Coast business issue and no politics," the Nyali MP said on the phone.
"We are addressing our issues. He is a good man and will listen to us. We are the hustler’s nation and we're growing big.”
The MP said the region has suffered social exclusion.
“Mombasa has been marginalised and we are suffering. We want roads, good schools, good hospitals but those in the national government have forgotten us,” the first-term lawmaker said
The people of Mombasa have accused President Kenyatta's administration of turning a blind eye to the issues of squatters, landlessness and poverty.
They have also blamed the government for killing Mombasa by ordering that cargo be ferried via SGR directly to the Naivasha Inland Depot for clearance.
Mombasa mainly thrives on port business that has employed more than 7,000 locals.
“ODM auctioned us to the highest bidder and walked away with the port. They brought the SGR and they are now doing business with it,” Ali said.
As has been his trend of late, Ruto will give goodies to various youth and women groups in a strategy to raise his political profile.
Ruto has donated shoe shining stands, laundry machines, salon items, water tanks and welding machines. He has also given out car washing machines, motorcycles, animal feeds and sewing machines.
The DP who has fashioned himself as the leader of the poor is reaching out directly to the people after losing favour with President Kenyatta.
Coast residents have always accused previous administrations of historical land injustices where few people own huge ranches at the expense of locals who hold that their land was alienated from them.
During the Building Bridges Initiative rally in Mombasa, the leaders from the region demanded that the task force should recommend how the issue of squatters is to be addressed.
“We have land problems. We have extrajudicial killings. There is no development in Mombasa and the Coast region at large. We have the beach but we don’t have factories,” Ali said.
It is also understood that Ruto will use, to his advantage, the revenue sharing formula stalemate in Senate which has disadvantaged many counties in the region.
Ruto has called for a win-win formula that will not disadvantage any county.
From the Coast region, the DP will head to Upper Eastern where will meet his supporters from Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Isiolo and Marsabit counties.
He will then tour South Rift where he will hold meetings in Narok, Kericho, Bomet, Nyamira, Kisii and Migori before heading to Northeastern for meetings with grassroots leaders in Garissa, Wajir and Mandera.
Ruto on Wednesday said Kenyans shall judge the leaders following their pre-election pledges.
Despite the socio-economic challenges that we are facing as a country, we should remain focused on fulfilling our pre-election pledges to the people of Kenya,” Ruto said when he hosted a delegation of leaders from Kajiado at his Karen residence.
“It is on these promises that we shall be judged by the public. As we pursue this, we should always uphold the cohesion and unity of all Kenyans.”