Raila Gives Ruto D- in First Year Scorecard
- by MARK OBAR on Saturday, 16 September 2023
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has confirmed that he and his Azimio la Umoja coalition have collected over 10 million signatures while unveiling a D- score for President William Ruto after serving for one year.
Raila made the announcement on Saturday, September 16, while releasing President Ruto’s one-year scorecard, which he claimed was disastrous.
He explained that the signatures were a clear indication that Kenyans were unhappy with Ruto’s government. While ruling out nationwide protests, Raila however failed to show how he would use the signatures to push Ruto into submitting to the opposition’s demands.
"We have collected over ten million signatures which we will use accordingly. However, I do not want to reveal how we will use these signatures in the near future.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1703002669193777301
“This time around, I will not call on anyone to go back to the streets. But be rest assured that we will use these signatures since this regime has failed,” Raila stated.
In the scorecard, Raila noted that Ruto had failed to deliver on key issues, including the economy, security, and corruption.
According to the former Prime Minister, Ruto had failed to deliver on his campaign promises to Kenyans noting that the country was worse off now than it was when he took over the reins.
Overall, Raila awarded Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza administration a D- (Minus) grade.
"Since the Inception into the office of the Kenya Kwanza Government, there has been a persistent emasculation of the political parties and the buying of opposition Members of Parliament.
“Immediately the President was declared, he embarked on the interference with the affairs of the Jubilee party and sponsoring parallel factions to destabilise the party,” Raila claimed.
He also accused Ruto of presiding over a government that was riddled with corruption and tribalism in the appointments to State jobs.
Here is a summary of Raila’s criticisms of Ruto’s government, as outlined in the scorecard:
Economy:
Raila noted that Ruto’s economic policies had failed to create jobs or reduce poverty. He accused the government of raising taxes and borrowing too much money.
He also claimed that, unlike what he promised, President Ruto’s policies have exacerbated the weakening of the Kenyan Shilling against the US Dollar.
“The Shilling was about Ksh120.00 to US$1 in August 2022. Now, it is Ksh150.00. The depreciation of the Kenya Shilling brings more suffering from escalated prices of imports that affect access to inputs and food imports,” the statement read in parts.
Raila also claimed that Ruto’s historic spending which duly increased in the Budget Outlook was based on the imposition of accelerated taxes and massive borrowing without taking into account a contracting economy that may not yield the resources.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party leader also observed that the President had ignored warnings of debt distress and risk of default from financial markets.
"On the other side, there are several Members of the ODM Party who attempted to shift sides and run with the ruling regime’s political ideology but were recently de-whipped from the party.
“The Kenya Kwanza Regime has shown that they are not committed to upholding Article 3 of the Constitution on Multiparty Democracy. The path and desire to emasculate all political parties reminisce the old-school Moi regime tactics of entrenching a one-party state in Kenya,” Raila lamented.
Inclusivity
On inclusivity, Raila noted that the Kenya Kwanza Regime has failed the test of ethnic diversity and regional balance as required by the Constitution in public and state appointments.
“Further to this, the gender question has not been addressed sufficiently despite a campaign promise that the President made to appoint 50 percent of women into the Cabinet,” he observed.
The former Prime Minister noted that only 13 percent of the permanent secretaries are women and just 31 percent of the Cabinet consists of women, falling short of the promised 50 percent in both cases.
Raila claimed that most of the public appointments have been based on political and tribal considerations and not merit.
“The Kenya Kwanza Regime has so far performed to the least of the Constitutional expectations and the expectations of Kenyans at large,” he concluded.
