INSIDE POLITICS
President hatches plot to win hustlers’ hearts after backlash
Monday, February 26th, 2024 05:40 | By
President Ruto’s Political Advisor Karisa Nzai. PHOTO/Print
President William Ruto has hatched a plan to endear himself again to the ‘Hustlers’ at the grassroots that voted for him in the August 2022 polls.
According to sources, the President has tasked his campaign coordinators across the 290 constituencies that he used during campaigns to organise both women groups and boda boda riders into groups so that they can form Saccos.
These groups will be transformed into Sacco’s and empowered economically and each county will have 30 women groups across the respective constituencies.
Another source intimated that the programme would start in the Coastal region counties of Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, and Tana River with a final meeting in Lamu before being rolled out to other counties.
During campaigns in the run-up to the 2022 polls, Ruto portrayed himself as a ‘hustler’ with all the solutions to deliver the common man from the yoke of the high cost of living and public debt.
The Opposition has also been chiding ‘Hustlers’ that they have been ignored by one of their own due to the current high cost of living to poor government policies and failure to listen to plights of the people. President Ruto, since coming to power, has implemented new tax policies such as an increase in the levy of monthly salaries from 30 to 35 percent, 1.5 percent housing tax with the employer matching the same, 2.75 hospital insurance fund levy and a three percent turnover on gross sales tax on small businesses among others.
President Ruto’s Political Advisor Karisa Nzai yesterday confirmed the plot, saying many people on the ground do not understand government policies that have caused the Executive to get a backlash and criticism.
“We are now going back to that person on the ground who campaigned for the President but now feels abandoned by the government,” said Nzai.
“The government can’t accommodate everyone and opportunities exist even abroad. That is why the President said issuance of passports should be fast-tracked so that our people can get jobs even abroad in places like Germany and Saudi Arabia,” added Nzai.
President Ruto with Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui will then meet all the women groups from all five counties in Lamu.
Sources further intimated that those who contested on United Democratic Alliance tickets and lost but have now been rewarded and serving in various positions will be used to steer the process of recruiting the women.
President Ruto and Chelugui will then support the women groups with capital to start off.
