KANU agreed to work with the Kenya Kwanza Alliance under the broad-based government arrangement.
President William Ruto and KANU chairman Gideon Moi addressed a grassroots leaders’ meeting in Kabarak, Nakuru County, where the decision was reached, on Friday.
Ruto said he had reached out to Moi because of his determination to unite Kenyans and rally the country towards a national transformation agenda.
He pointed out that the government needed “more hands and broader goodwill” to achieve the goal of transformation.
“I want to ask you, the good people of the founding party, to accept that we work together,” he said. “Let us have a formal arrangement so that KANU becomes part of the government of Kenya.”
The President explained that the union between KANU and Kenya Kwanza was not about serving personal interests, but serving the country.
“This is not about individuals, personalities, parochialism or regions. This is about Kenya,” he said.
The President explained that his engagement with Moi would be about the contribution KANU will make to the development of the country.
His sentiments were echoed by Moi, who said his interest in pursuing an elective seat was guided by his deep desire to transform the lives of the people, adding that his focus is on completing stalled projects such as roads.
The meeting with KANU grassroots leaders came two days after President Ruto, Moi and KANU officials held talks at State House, Nairobi, on Wednesday.
At the same time, President Ruto noted that the development of the country has lagged behind for far too long because of poor leadership.
He explained that countries like South Korea and Singapore have managed to develop into first-world nations, yet they were at the same level of development as Kenya at independence in 1963.
“We need to ask ourselves what we got wrong, and what they got right,” he said.
President Ruto called on leaders to work together to get the country out of third-world status and make Kenya a prosperous nation.
The President outlined the measures he had taken to stabilise the economy in the past three years.
“The economy is now stable. We are focusing on implementing programmes that had stalled,” he said.
KANU Secretary-General George Wainaina told party members that it would work with the President, noting that KANU had been in the opposition for too long.
Kilgoris MP Julius Sunkuli thanked Moi for making the bold decision to work with the government.
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