Deputy President William Ruto is still expected to visit Garissa County, even after failing to show up last Saturday.
Speaking to the Nation.Africa, United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Garissa Township coordinator Mohammed Gedi said the party leader was supposed to visit the county on August 14 but that did not happen.
“The visit was postponed due to the recent spike in Covid-19 infections in the county. The government had banned public gatherings,” he said.
Mr Gedi said DP Ruto was to open the party’s office.
Three weeks ago, the party launched a membership registration drive.
“We already started registering members. We are now at more than 10,000. We were waiting for the party leader to launch it officially,” he said.
UDA will take over space that was formerly the Jubilee headquarters in Garissa.
But opening the office was not a top priority for Dr Ruto’s visit, said Mr Gedi.
“The main purpose of the visit was for the Deputy President to help in spearheading an Islamic university fundraiser,” he said.
Al Mustaqbal University houses more than 2,000 male and female students.
“The school is not well off financially. Most students lack funds to pay for their education while teachers are limited. That is why we asked the Deputy President for his assistance,” he said.
He said a new date had been agreed on and the DP will visit within the “next few months”.
On July 14, a group of Muslim clerics from the region, led by Garissa Township MP Aden Duale, held a meeting with Dr Ruto in Nairobi.
“We applaud religious institutions for their friendship and cooperation on social causes such as health and education,” Dr Ruto said on his social media pages.
“Met with the board of trustees of Al Mustaqbal Islamic University. We discussed the expansion of the institution.”
The county is still waiting to hear who will raise the UDA party’s flag in the gubernatorial race, said Mr Gedi.
Mr Duale and Garissa Woman Representative Anab Gure have been at the forefront in campaigning for the party’s interests. BY DAILY NATION