PRESIDENT HITS AT THE OPPSITION FOR 'WASHING DIRTY LINEN IN PUBLIC'

President Uhuru addressing Makongeni residents in Thika yesterday

President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday hit at the Opposition for failing to put the interest of the country before theirs when the US President, Barack Obama, was in the country a week ago. President Kenyatta said the leaders, who were lucky to have been accorded the opportunity to meet President Obama, wasted the golden opportunity they got to contribute to Kenya’s progress.
Speaking at Makongeni in Thika after attending a security meeting at the KDF Engineers Brigade barracks, the President said, “Instead of asking for more investments in Kenya and putting the country first, the Opposition leaders chose to put their selfish interests first.”
He said political leaders should be motivated by progress in the country and not by personal fights.
“Even when we have visitors you want to wash your dirty linen in public. You do not invite visitors to your house and start quarrelling with your spouse,” he said.
He said the current crop of Opposition politicians should understand that their role in politics is not about standing in the way of development and progress that is meant to benefit Kenyans.
“Opposition is about difference of opinion but does not mean enmity,” he said.
He said the role of the Opposition is to air their views democratically on issues they have a difference of opinion on and to support what is right.
“If something is good put the country first and support it. When the visitor goes we can continue sorting out our differences,” he said. “Sometimes we can agree to agree and sometimes we can agree to disagree on some issues like we did with President Obama (on the gays topic).”
President Kenyatta also told the Opposition to realise that Kenya is an established democracy and they should know that elections will come at the stipulated time.
The fact that Opposition leaders failed to capitalise on the opportunity to push for Kenya’s economic progress was revealed by President Obama while he was still in Kenya.
He blasted the Opposition leaders for being hypocritical because when they were in government they were vocal in criticizing the US Government.
President Obama told them to wake up to reality and start working with the legally elected government.
President Kenyatta also censured the Opposition for creating controversy over government plans to support unemployed youth through projects managed by the National Youth Service.
The President said the leaders opposing the noble initiatives to allocate more money for improving the welfare of the youth, who are the majority of the Kenyan population, were betraying their preference for poverty as a tool for political benefit.
The President said those who were creating controversies over the NYS by making outrageous claims were out to scuttle the efforts to fight poverty affecting Kenyan youth.
“They only want the youth to continue living in poverty so that they can exploit them for political support,” he said.
He said the objective of the government was to implement projects that will uplift the economic welfare of the youth