Deputy President William Ruto on Friday criticized leaders bent on tribal politics warning that they risk becoming irrelevant to the country's leadership.
Speaking at Gionseri girls secondary school in Bobasi, Kisii county where he officiated a fundraiser, Ruto told the leaders still dwelling on hostile politics to instead build individual political careers.
He said tribal or religious intolerance no longer have relevance in the country and asked Kenyans to unite and speak as one people.
"The politics of this country is changing. We have embraced the concept of unity among our people. We want to unite the country to create synergy and momentum to drive our economy," he said.
Despite criticism from some opposition leaders, Ruto reiterated that he and President Uhuru Kenyatta will continue visiting all corners of the country taking development to the people. He said no amount of criticism will discourage them from that mission.
Ruto further lashed out at those making tribal sentiments with the aim of benefiting from the resultant confusion telling them they were doomed to fail.
On agriculture, he decried the falling prices of tea on the world market saying the government was seized of the matter and was appealing to Parliament to remove some of the many taxes imposed so that farmers reap maximum returns from the crop.
On education, Ruto restated that the government had increased funds for free primary schools from 10 billion to 14 billion in 2014 and from 20 billion to 28 billion for secondary schools.
He asked those in charge of managing the funds to exercise high levels of accountability, saying the money must be used well to benefit the children of Kenya.
Noting that education is the greatest investment one can make, Ruto called on the management boards of Constituency Development Funds (CDF) to increase their allocations to the schools in their constituencies.
He announced that the national government will build 100 kilometers of tarmac roads in Kisii county every year for the next three years noting that the 2014 programme was at the tendering stage.
Ruto also said Kisii, Nyamache and Marani hospitals will be elevated to level five hospitals and that some Sh350 million had already been set aside for each hospital to buy facilities to realize the goal.
Addressing the gathering, Charles Nyachae, chairman of the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC), said there is a misunderstanding on what the constitution intended devolution to be.
Saying there is need for more civic education on the matter, Nyachae explained that devolution entails taking more services to the people at the grassroots level and not necessarily more money to the counties.
"We need huduma mashinani and not pesa mashinani," he said.
Nominated Senator Janet Ongera lauded jubilee's way of governing the country noting that even those in the opposition could not help admiring the pomp of the reception that greeted Kenyatta upon his arrival from The Hague on Thursday.
"Even the calls for Okoa Kenya are meant to give us work. Do you want us to remain without work?" she posed.
Other speakers included MPs Stephen Manoti (Bobasi), Elijah Moindi (Nyaribari Masaba), Kisoi Munyao (Mbooni) and David Gikaria (Nakuru west), who hit out at the Okoa Kenya referendum proponents saying Kenyans did not need a plebiscite to resolve challenges facing the country.
Kisii Governor James Ongwae and Senator Chris Obure also spoke at the function.
- DPPS
