Uhuru set to unveil 3-point campaign plan

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By OLIVER MATHENGE omathenge@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Saturday, October 6  2012 at  20:33

IN SUMMARY

• Those familiar with the campaign told the Sunday Nation that Mr Kenyatta has asked that the launch, which will be televised live, be in Rift Valley because the region was one of those most affected by the post-election violence.
• Mr Kenyatta is said to have personally selected the three issues as the main pillars of his campaign. He then asked his team, henceforth to be called Team Uhuru, to come up with the campaign based on the three pillars.

Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta is set to start a three-phased campaign that will be the anchor for his presidential bid, the Sunday Nation has learnt.

Next Sunday Mr Kenyatta will be in Nakuru to launch the first phase of the countrywide campaign known as “Umoja Kenya” (United Kenya) in Nakuru.

The Umoja campaign, to be run by Team Uhuru lobby, will be followed by the “Uchumi” (Economy) campaign in early December and eventually by the “Uwazi” (Transparency) campaign in January.

According to the plan, the Uchumi phase will be about “encouraging entrepreneurship and a clear road map for job creation.”

The Uwazi campaign is timed to coincide with TNA nominations and is meant to demonstrate transparency in the party.

The campaign goes live on Monday morning when a reworked version of Mr Kenyatta’s website goes up, complete with TV advertisements for three days.

This will be followed by mainstream and social media campaigns in preparation for the Nakuru event.

Those familiar with the campaign told the Sunday Nation that Mr Kenyatta has asked that the launch, which will be televised live, be in Rift Valley because the region was one of those most affected by the post-election violence.

Mr Kenyatta is said to have personally selected the three issues as the main pillars of his campaign. He then asked his team, henceforth to be called Team Uhuru, to come up with the campaign based on the three pillars.

The most affected

According to the plan, the Umoja Campaign will sponsor reconciliation meetings, county debates on core issues affecting the public, cultural ceremonies and, crucially, youth-based events like concerts.

Team Uhuru is expected to play a major role in Mr Kenyatta’s presidential campaign. A Team Uhuru Foundation has already been registered and set up.

It is said that Mr Kenyatta’s party, The National Alliance, will also use the same three pillars in its campaigns.

The names of trustees and other key figures in the campaign and on Team Uhuru were not immediately known but are expected to be announced at the launch in Nakuru.

Team Uhuru national organising co-ordinator Patrick Ngatia, who has been running the outfit’s grassroots mechanisms, declined to discuss its structure but said, “we need to make politics about action as opposed to rhetoric, instead of saying you will create jobs, why not empower youths now?”

According to a schedule seen by the Sunday Nation, there will be debates on issues spread across the country for all aspirants where they face questions from the electorate. Proposals will also be taken to inform the TNA manifesto.

“When DPM was minister for Finance he introduced IFMIS, a software that tracks every tax shilling from the point of release to purchase thereby standardising cost of items across ministries and tracking expenditure.

He has put it clear he will not only have a transparent government, but his ideals have to start at the campaign level; you can’t sell what you don’t practise,” our source said. This comes as the party continued to receive defectees from other parties.

On Friday, Mr Kenyatta received Marakwet East MP Jebii Kilimo, Nominated MP Rachel Shebesh and Maendeleo ya Wanawake chairperson and treasurer Rukia Subow and Naomi Okul respectively.

Foreign Affairs minister Sam Ongeri and Culture assistant minister Wilfred Ombui also joined TNA.