Ruto: Prepare for higher taxes

Higher Education minister William Ruto on Friday claimed the proposed constitution would oppress the poor by taxing them to pay for the salaries of the additional posts of legislators, governors and senators.

The Eldoret North MP also said the draft, if passed, would introduce taxes on idle land.

He was speaking at Mutuati market in Igembe North district on Friday, where he had gone to drum up support for the ‘No’ vote during the August 4 referendum.

The minister was accompanied by MPs Mithika Linturi (Igembe South) and Silas Muriuki (Imenti North).

The team encountered a hostile reception at Nkubu market in Energy minister Kiraitu Murungi’s Imenti South constituency.

A small group donning ‘Yes’ t-shirts and caps chanted slogans, drowning the speakers’ voices.

There was a heavy presence of police to keep the peace.

Other meetings at Gakoromone (Imenti North), Kibirichia (Imenti Central), Chogoria and Chuka towns in Nithi were uneventful. The team did not campaign in MP Peter Munya’s Tigania East constituency.

Mr Ruto called on Meru residents to shoot down the draft to allow for amendments.

Mr Muriuki, who is the Meru parliamentary group chairman, urged the residents not to ignore the stand taken by religious leaders.

“Who is more likely to lie to you? Is it a politician or a religious leader?” he posed.

Mr Ruto said sharing of resources will be carried out through the counties and added Meru people have been discriminated against because 1.5 million people in the proposed Meru County have been lumped together in one county, which will be allocated the same resources with counties comprising people with populations of less than 200,000 persons.

Contentious clauses

He said the Yes and No are agreed the proposal is not perfect.

The minister said the ‘No’ camp was not opposed to the country having a new constitution, but they wanted clauses such as those on taxation of property, treaties and abortion removed from the document first.

On Thursday, the team was in Marimanti, Mutuati, Kianjai and Timau markets in Tharaka, Igembe North, Tigania West and North Imenti.