Major issues raised by Uhuru while blasting Ruto & what the president’s men said

Jubilee Party's Special National Delegates Conference (NDC) provided a forum for retired President Uhuru Kenyatta to give his bold take on a number of issues, slamming his successor, President William Ruto for eroding key gains made by the previous regimes.

Uhuru who addressed the gathering at Ngong Racecourse, Nairobi gave revisited his earlier warning to Kenyans about their political choices in 2022 that have unraveled in the fullness of time.

As we continue to dwell in rhetoric rather than progress, we repeat the mistakes of the past. Some of the truths we spoke of and some of the myths have become the nightmares that many are living with.

He lamented that schemes that were delivering services to Kenyans were wiped out in a haste and replaced by new ones that are untried and untested, subjecting Kenyans to prolonged suffering.

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Today, many of the gains of the past have been eroded. Linda Mama and others have been replaced by new, untried and untested schemes. While we wait for these experiments to work, Kenyans suffer and our progress is dragged.

Linda mama & SHA

Linda mama was a noble initiative launched in 2013 to provide comprehensive services to expectant women and their new-borns.

It provided free health insurance from antenatal care to postnatal and infant care, including immunizations and delivery. 

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Despite its gains, the programme was scrapped off by the current regime and replaced with a new maternal care package under the Social Health Authority (SHA) to cover the entire maternal journey. 

SHA has had its fair share of controversy and success, including massive fraud scandal in which fraudulent facilities obtained money despite not rendering an services.

Uhuru revisits handshake

The retired president also noted that his attempts to unite the nation by reaching out to opposition figures was quickly packaged and sold to Kenyans as an attempt to cling on to power and erode democracy, only for the same politicians who castigated him to form a broad-based government with the opposition.

We worked to bring greater cohesion in our social construct, to reduce ethnic tensions and address both social and regional inequalities. This was used against us in the last campaigns and called an attempt to erode democracy. I wonder what they call theirs today.

What Ruto’s men said in response to Uhuru

Ruto’s allies, led by Mwala MP and UDA National Organizing Secretary Vincent Kawaya responded swiftly claiming that the retired President left behind a mess that his successor has been working tirelessly to sort out.

“Uhuru Kenyatta should retire honourably and stop lecturing those who are fixing the mess he left behind. He ran down the country, and President Ruto is working overtime to rebuild it,”

According to Kawaya, Ruto has done a good job in “fixing the mess left by Uhuru" and is on course to “undisputed re-election” in 2027.

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His Kitui South MP Dr. Rachael Nyamai averred that the current regime is implementing bold, long-term programs which previous regimes failed to roll out.

Some leaders feared pursuing tough national projects like affordable housing, but this government has shown courage. The benefits in terms of dignified living and economic empowerment are immense.

Uhuru has largely remained out of politics while enjoying a quiet retirement but still wilds immense influence and is a revered statesman.