Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party Leader Raila Odinga has scoffed at President William Ruto over the housing levy, saying nothing in this country will work out through force.
Mpende Msipende, a Swahili phrase that losely translates to (whether you like it or not), where the ODM leaders says such reckless sentiments should not come from the Head of state.
Speaking in Mombasa on Saturday, the last day of his four-day Coastal tour where he traversed Lamu, Tana River, Kilifi, Kwale Taita Taveta and Mombasa counties to eccelerate the ODM Party member registration drive, Raila noted that President William Ruto should stop running the country with a lot of chest thumping, assuring him that he will terribly fail if he continues creating gap between Kenya Kwanza leadership and Kenyans.
Controversy
According to Raila, the opposition is not against the affordable housing project, however, their must be a clear guideline on the source of funds and not for the government to overburden Kenyans with huge taxes.
“We are telling William Ruto that this is not good, for such a noble project to succeed, people should sit down, discuss and have clear guidelines, understanding and the implementation process and where the money will come from,” noted Raila.
He rubbished President Ruto’s threats saying Kenyans cannot be governed in such a manner, and that the Presidet should go back to the drawing board and work with Kenyans.
“The Kenyans we have today are not those we had many years back, things should be run and implemented in a collaborative manner, do not force anything on Kenyans throats, they will never consume it,” he said.
The ODM leader reminded Kenyans that the country’s future remains in their hands.
He also condemned the government for demolishing houses at the Changamwe Estate in Mombasa leaving families stranded with nowhere to go.
“On the other hand you want to construct affordable houses for Kenyans but at the same time you are evicting the same Kenyans living in government owned houses that is inhuman” Raila told off President Ruto.
Raila was accompanied by Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sharif Nassir, his Kilifi Counterpart Gedion Mung’aro, Mombasa County Assembly Speaker Aharub Khatri, Likoni MP Mishi Mboko among other ODM leaders from the Coast region who criticised Ruto’s affordable housing project as well.
Unstoppable
However, while addressing locals during his Meru county tour, President Ruto reiterated his stand on the affordable housing issue saying he will not back down.
According to Ruto, the parliament will in the next two weeks finalise on all the legislative issues surrounding the project so that nothing stops its implementation.
Ruto refreshed his battle with the judiciary, noting that the judiciary remains an obstacle in Kenyans Kwanza government agenda of transforming the country.
On Friday, the Court of Appeal suspended the 1.5 percent deductions from Kenyans to fund the affordable housing project, declaring the deductions where employers also constribute the same amount as null and void and that it is against the constitution.
