Kivutha Kibwana Joins Ruto's Kenya Kwanza

Outgoing Makueni Governor, Prof Kivutha Kibwana, has joined President-elect William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza coalition.

Ruto announced in a statement on Tuesday, August 23 that Kibwana joined the coalition following a meeting at the Karen residence.

In addition, Kibwana becomes the latest addition to Ruto’s legal team set to defend his victory in the August 9 elections at the Supreme Court.

Deputy President William Ruto (third right) receives outgoing Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana (third left) into Kenya Kwanza. /WILLIAM RUTO

"We associate with the leadership that Prof. Kivutha Kibwana has manifested in agreeing to work with us in furthering our country’s development agenda. The Makueni Governor will join the Kenya Kwanza legal team in the ongoing presidential election petition.

"At the Karen Residence, welcomed Governor Kibwana to Kenya Kwanza accompanied by other leaders," he stated.

Ruto has been building his potential government brick by brick over the past few weeks and has been poaching members from across opposition parties, including the Azimio la Umoja coalition.

Explaining his moves on Saturday, August 20 at his Karen residence, Ruto said that he was welcoming members of the United Democratic Movement (UDM) and independent MPs to his team to build a strong front at the National Assembly and Senate level.

With the majority of numbers, this will help him execute some of the plans made in his manifesto and during his campaigns, with the MPs passing laws that would allow him gain access to funding for projects such as the Hustler Fund.

"Many people are wondering why we are consolidating our place in the National Assembly and the Senate, but you need to understand we have a huge responsibility ahead of us. We need a lot of policy decisions to be made and legislative interventions to be made and we need the team that will help us deliver on the pledges we made to the people of Kenya," Ruto stated.

"We are consolidating the team that will help us prosecute our policy agenda in Parliament so that we can do that which we must do for the people of Kenya. Having numbers gives us leverage."

The move had initially upset the Azimio coalition, with Prof. Makau Mutua of the Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign Secretariat on Friday, August 19 accusing Ruto of committing an illegality by sweeping apart the coalition for dissatisfied members.

"We are shocked that DP William Ruto, who harbours dreams of leading Kenya, is already engaged in acts of impunity and disregard of the rule of law. He must suffer from gross ignorance of our laws.

"As we issue this statement, Mr Ruto is assiduously wooing some of the leaders elected as Independents and on the Azimio Coalition to defect to his side. This is the practice that was used in the KANU era to defeat the independence of the legislature and retard the growth of multiparty democracy," Mutua addressed.

Mutua called for Ruto to be stopped from taking Kenya back to the old days of the KANU dictatorship.

Raila Odinga presidential campaign secretariat, Prof Makau Mutua. /FILE