Lamu, KENYA: Two Lamu Jubilee MPs have announced their support for Deputy President William Ruto’s 2022 presidential bid.
Lamu East MP Athman Shariff and Women Rep Ruweida Obbo say Ruto is one of the most focused and development oriented leader Kenyans could ever ask for.
Speaking in Lamu town on Thursday,the two legislators are confident that the DP has the coast region’s best interests at heart and called on coastal leaders to also back him.
The two say only the DP has shown any interest in addressing the long-term marginalization that Lamu and the coast region has faced for decades.
Shariiff asked coast leaders to set aside their political differences and join hands to ensure Ruto gets the presidency come 2022 insisting that the move carries numerous goodies for the coast.
“My support for DP Ruto is as strong as ever. He is a visionary leader who has proved he can unite the coast and Kenya too. With Ruto at the helm of this country in 2022, Lamu and the coast can say goodbye to marginalization that we have continued to face. Nobody remembers Lamu but Ruto has vowed to. Coast leaders must understand that such a person is rare to find,” said Shariff.
Obbo on her side said she would support any candidate that the party fronts for the presidency in 2022.
However, she wants leaders to stop politicking about 2022 in the meantime and focus on service delivery to Kenyans saying good leader will automatically sell themselves to the Kenyan public through the work they do.
“If the party fronts the DP for the presidency, I will immensely support him. However, I feel this is not the time for politics, let’s work first to ensure the Jubilee party manifesto is achieved in its entirety,” said Obbo.
Ruto who seems to be eyeing a slice of the 1.7 Million votes in the six counties of Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Lamu and Tana River has become a frequent visitor in the region has already visited eight times ever since the March 9 handshake between president Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
The DP seems to take advantage of the post-handshake political atmosphere to attempt to penetrate the region perceived to be an opposition stronghold.
