Ruto: Agriculture Cartels Are Financing Raila’s ‘Protests’

Written by on 23 January 2023

  • Odinga is expected to hold a public rally at the Kamukunji Grounds when he jets back from South Africa on Monday.
  • Ruto claims the rally, which he calls a protest, is the brainchild of rogue players in the agriculture sector who are upset that his government is planning to weed them out.

President William Ruto says cartels in the local agriculture sector are behind Azimio La Umoja leader Raila Odinga’s planned public rally on Monday.

Odinga is expected to hold a public rally at the Kamukunji Grounds when he jets back from South Africa, where he has for the past week been holding meetings in his capacity as the AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa.

Key of the issues he is expected to address with his supporters is the recent report by a purported IEBC whistleblower claiming that Odinga won the August 9, 2022, General Election.

In a speech during an interdenominational church service at Kirinyaga Stadium, Kirinyaga County, on Sunday, the president claimed the rally, which he called a protest, is the brainchild of rogue players in the agriculture sector who are upset that his government is planning to weed them out.

“We must ensure that farmers’ businesses are thriving because they are the surest solutions for our food security intervention. These cartels and corrupt people in the coffee, tea and milk industries are the ones financing the protests because of our plan to get rid of cartels,” said Ruto.

He urged the purported cartels to go ahead with the ‘protest’ but warned them that their days are numbered.

“Let them protest however they want but they must leave farmers alone. They can finance whatever they want to finance but our farmers can never be the slaves of brokers and cartels who have taken hostage our market,” he said.

President Ruto further directed his deputy, Rigathi gachagua, to lead the fight against cartels, saying, “you have my clear instructions on what you need to do… you have a big rungu, beat them out waende wakiendanga. They have troubled us for so long but their day has come. We are starting this year.”

According to Odinga’s spokesperson, Dennis Onyango, the former prime minister will land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Monday at 11 AM then head straight to the Kamukunji Grounds where he has urged his supporters to turn up in large numbers.

“Upon arrival, Mr. Odinga will proceed to the Kamukunji grounds in Kamukunji Constituency for a People’s Baraza consultations with the public where they will discuss recent disclosures by a whistle blower on the conduct of the 2022 general election,” Onyango said in a statement to newsrooms on Saturday.

Azimio leaders have in the meantime promised to issue a comprehensive statement regarding the dossier, detailing how last year’s polls were allegedly rigged in favour of Ruto.

The report claims Odinga won the polls after garnering 8,170,355 votes ahead of Ruto who reportedly managed 5,919,973 votes.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Wafula Chebukati, on August 15, 2022, declared Ruto the president-elect after garnering 7,176,141 votes, representing 50.49 per cent of the total votes cast, while Odinga got 6,942,930 votes, representing 48 per cent of the votes cast.


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