- Ruto at the same time expressed commitment to mentoring the young leaders saying he made the promise while settling on Gachagua as his deputy.
- The President said the success of any leadership is in mentoring the youth to become better leaders.
President William Ruto on Sunday revisited the intrigues that saw him pick Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as his running mate ahead of the 2022 General Elections.
Image: PCS
President William Ruto on Sunday revisited the intrigues that saw him pick Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua as his running mate ahead of the 2022 General Elections.
Speaking at Nakuru Boys High School grounds on Sunday, June 9, during the Akorino Annual Prayer Conference, the President explained that his choice for Gachagua was against a decision made by a caucus he had tasked to help him pick his running mate.
"Ahead of the 2022 polls, I called these MPs and asked them to help on picking my deputy. These MPs held lots of deliberations and they directed me towards youthful candidates," he said.
"But I told them no, let me settle on Gachagua. It was because I saw Gachagua was my age mate who we could work with him well and agree on many things."
Ruto at the same time expressed commitment to mentoring the young leaders saying he made the promise while settling on Gachagua as his deputy.
The President said the success of any leadership is in mentoring the youth to become better leaders.
"We like assisting other leaders because we shall be happier if we get better leaders than us. That is how we shall have a better country," Ruto said.
"I want to assure young leaders of our commitment to mentor them to become better leaders in future. However, we should respect one another," he said.
At the same time, President Ruto assured Kenyans that he would not allow tribal politics to thrive under his watch.
"I want to assure Kenyans that we will never have time for tribal politics in this country," he said.
President Ruto pointed out that countries in conflict such as Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Haiti were seeking Kenya's support to maintain peace in their nations.
"These countries are relying on Kenya for the attainment of peace. This means our country is truly a blessed and God-fearing nation," the President said.
He urged leaders to embrace unity and desist from divisive politics.
"I want to plead with my fellow leaders not to divide Kenyans. We must unite our people for the sake of peace and development," he said.
The President thanked the people of Nakuru for dismissing a group of tribal individuals who had warned them of dire consequences if they voted for Kenya Kwanza during the last General Election.
"Some leaders, who were proponents of tribal politics, came here during the last General Election campaigns and cautioned you against voting for Kenya Kwanza. But you refused to buy their tribal politics and voted for a party that propagates the politics of national unity," he said.
On development in Nakuru County, President Ruto said the construction of Itare Dam will resume soon as the issues that had stopped it have been ironed out.
"In fact on Friday, I will meet with Italy's Prime Minister over the dam," he said.
The President also said plans were at an advanced stage for the construction of a one-gigawatt (GW) data centre in Naivasha.
The data centre, he explained, will be established in a partnership among Kenyan firm Eco Cloud, United States' company Microsoft and G42 of the United Arab Emirates.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said he believes in national unity and pointed out that disunity in any part of Kenya affects the whole nation.
He noted that the unity he is championing is for the entire country, but he is doing it “bottom-up”.
Gachagua said he has never failed President Ruto.
“My work is to assist you in the management of the affairs of the country. As you champion the economic transformation of the country, I help you from the background,” he stated.
Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika emphasised the need for leaders to unite and speak in one voice for the sake of peace and development.
"As long as we are fighting, we cannot engage in any meaningful service delivery. We must put our house in order," she said.
She added:
"We do not want disunity. We want a united country and a united people. It's not of any value to have a disunited country."
Tharaka-Nithi Governor Muthomi Njuki called for revenue sharing that is equitable and good for all parts of the country.
Njuki called for unity among leaders for the sake of peace and development, saying the current government represents all and "we can't abandon it when we worked very hard to bring it to office".
Cabinet Secretaries Zachary Njeru (Water and Irrigation), Moses Kuria (Public Service), and several MPs were also present.