President Kenyatta dismisses opposition manifesto

By PSCU

President Kenyatta dismisses opposition manifesto

President Uhuru Kenyatta Wednesday dismissed the opposition’s manifesto as an empty promise that offers nothing new apart from dragging the country back to dark days of counter-productive policies.

The President said the manifesto the opposition figures launched yesterday contains no credible plan or roadmap to achieve anything for Kenya.

“I was surprised yesterday when the opposition launched a document that will drag us backwards instead of propelling the country forward towards development and prosperity,” President Kenyatta said.

President Kenyatta, who spoke at Wanguru Stadium in Mwea as he wrapped up a day-long tour of Kirinyaga County, said the opposition failed to even articulate their promises showing that they have no agenda for the country.

President Kenyatta urged supporters in the county to turn out in large numbers to ensure the Jubilee Party is re-elected to continue with its transformational agenda for Kenya as the opposition has proved that they are bankrupted of ideas.

“Yesterday, I thought that finally, they would show Kenyans what plans they have for the country but frankly they had nothing to show,” said the President.

He said the lack of any credible plan in the manifesto is evidence that the opposition figures have no idea of how to move Kenya forward.

The President assured the rice farmers that unlike the opposition who are only promising to build stores, the Jubilee Government is planning to build dams that will support irrigation as well as subsidize seeds and fertilizer to boost production.

President Kenyatta waived the loans owed by rice farmers amounting to Kshs 100 million to enable them get back to production without any hindrance.

“We need to take Kenya forward and we should not allow those people to interrupt this country’s progress,” said the President.

He said Kenya needs to continue increasing its productivity and should play its rightful place on the international stage.

President Kenyatta said judging from their manifesto, the opposition will bring nothing but poverty because its leading figures have no skills to make the country productive.

He said the opposition has not shown Kenyans any plans they have for increasing food productivity as opposed to Jubilee which has laid out a clear plan for this objective.

Jubilee’s plan includes the continued reduction of fertiliser prices, the construction of 57 mega dams and more plans contained in the manifesto released on Monday evening. One of the dams is the Thiba dam that will be constructed in Kirinyaga County at a cost of Kshs 9.5 billion to double the production of rice in the county.

Through its recently launched manifesto, Jubilee has committed to support small-holder agricultural drip irrigation and work with the private sector to enhance commercial agricultural production on at least 1.2 million acres.

It has also promised to double the fertiliser subsidy initiative, reducing the cost to farmers to less than Kshs 1,500 as well as expand the programme to include all crops to increase in production among other initiatives.

President Kenyatta said the opposition has only talked about building more food stores without detailing how this food stores will be filled.

He also attacked the opposition for planning to take the country’s education system backwards with their plan to scrap the digital learning program.

The President said it was sad that the opposition figures are talking of suspending the issuance of digital learning devices to students and planning to beg for books from donors.

The Head of State also lambasted the opposition for their statements on the continued stay of the Kenya Defence Forces in Somalia.

He said the KDF will remain in Somalia to continue protecting Kenya against its enemies who have been destabilizing the neighbouring country and using it to trouble Kenya.

Deputy President William Ruto took on the opposition on the issue of corruption, saying they lacked the moral standing to fight the vice because they are literally owned by corruption cartels.

The Deputy President said opposition leaders were being financed by corruption cartels and Non-Governmental Organizations (that accounted to no one.

He said the launch of the opposition manifesto has given Kenyans an opportunity to compare it with the Jubilee Manifesto, which is a robust plan with roadmaps and targets, and the empty statements released by the opposition.