Nairobi — The embattled Jubilee Party Secretary General, Jeremiah Kioni, has asserted that President William Ruto will be a one-term President due to his “don’t care attitude” toward the struggles faced by Kenyans.
Affiliated with the opposition, Azimio, Kioni spoke confidently on Monday, stating that President Ruto’s downfall is inevitable, and the electorate is prepared to rectify their past choices.
“Majority of Kenyans I interact with on the ground tell me that they made a mistake and they cannot wait to get another opportunity to right their wrongs,” he said during an interview on Spice FM.
Kioni emphasized that the passage of the now-suspended Finance Act 2023 was the final straw, portraying President Ruto’s regime as indifferent to the challenges faced by Kenyans who are already grappling with making ends meet.
“The passage of the Bill was evident enough of how Ruto is contemptuous to Kenyans,” he said.
Rather than fulfilling the promises President Ruto made to Kenyans during the campaigns, Kioni lamented that the Head of State had turned to distractions and is leveraging on the Azimio protests as a scapegoat for his shortcomings.
Kioni pointed out what he considered as distractions from President Ruto’s regime, specifically highlighting the arbitrary arrests and mistreatment of Azimio supporters during the demonstrations, as well as the recent attacks directed at former President
The Azimio coalition is exerting pressure on the government through demonstrations, highlighting the issue of the escalating cost of living, which they believe President Ruto has neglected to address, even after being in office for nine months now.
“Leaders who are dishonest must take responsibility. The electorate who voted for this government are crying because they were told lies which unfortunately they believe and are now regretting the decision they made,” he said.
President Ruto has since dismissed claims suggesting that he is concerned about his declining popularity, owing to his administration’s measures to enhance the country’s economic prospects.
– Genocide –
The former Ndaragwa MP accused President Ruto’s administration of “suspending the Constitution” and violating its provisions, particularly in terms of safeguarding the lives of Kenyans.
He accused the State of authorizing what he referred to as arbitrary arrests and killings of Azimio supporters during the demonstrations, describing it as “genocide.”
In response, the coalition has since issued a threat to sue the State and the police at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for committing crimes against humanity.
“The intolerance has now gone beyond and we are living in a regime where the Constitutional rights of Kenyans are being disregarded,” he said.
President Ruto, on the other hand, has come forward to defend the police action against the protestors, stating that they had not overstepped their boundaries while carrying out their duty to safeguard the lives and property of Kenyans.
Kioni at the same time expressed his concern about the compromised state of the Judiciary, where some Judges were allegedly serving at the beck and call of the Executive, leading to injustices against Kenyans.
“We have Judges who are ready to deny bail to some Kenyans who have been arrested and lock them up,” he said.
The Azimio brigade is in the meantime gearing up for another round of protests scheduled for Wednesday.