Aukot dismisses claims Ruto is financing Punguza Mizigo to rival BBI

Thirdway Alliance leader Ekuru Aukot has dismissed as falsified claims that Deputy President William Ruto is sponsoring the Punguzo Mizigo Bill.

Aukot further said the campaign is not sponsored by any political wing or leaders as has been alleged. He said they are only relying on well-wishers and people of goodwill.

He said unlike other big parties, Thirdway Alliance does not have an elected leader but that should not be a cause for leaders to speculate where they draw funds from to finance the initiative.

“We are the promoters of this Bill. I do not understand why people are pushing Ruto into it…Ruto is in Jubilee, so I do not know when and how he started becoming a member of Thirdway Alliance for people to say he is funding it,” Aukot said.

Team Embrace last Saturday claimed DP Ruto is behind the Punguza Mizigo Bill.

Led by governors Charity Ngilu (Kitui) and Anne Waiguru (Kirinyaga), the women leaders said those behind the Bill want the number of women leaders reduced because they are male chauvinists.

“When did Ruto start being bad? This is what we should start asking ourselves and people should not think that since we are in smaller parties, we are not capable of deciding the path this country should follow until ‘big’ people in government decide for us.”

He spoke in Bomet when he met MCAs and other stakeholders as he sought to drum support for it to be passed.

He also maintained that Punguza Mizigo was not in any way political or competing with the Building Bridges Initiative.

Aukot further pointed out that BBI was only meant to divide the country and not to unite as widely proclaimed. He said the Constitution is clear on how to amend it, which is through the parliamentary or popular initiative, the route his Bill has taken.

Bomet is inching closer at becoming the second county to adopt the Bill after residents showed endorsed it during the public participation forums held last week.

The week-long forums held across the 25 wards in the five subcounties were conducted by MCAs as part of the constitutional requirement. They ended on Friday.

Uasin Gishu became the first county to pass the Bill on Tuesday this week.

While supporting the Bill, residents said they need a representation reduced, especially in the legislature, as it was bloated.

They said the Bill, if approved, will reduce the burden they have as taxpayers, where much of the public funds go to salaries instead of development.

They, however, opposed the introduction of a one seven-year term presidency, saying the current system is the ‘best’.

They also opposed the reduction of the number of MPs from the current 416 to 147,  instead proposing the scrapping of nominated members in all Houses in both levels of governance.

The assembly’s committee on will now retreat to write a report before it is presented on the floor of the House this week.

Edited by E.Kibii