David Ndii on William Ruto

[sema]

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This interview that Ndii gave might just change my mind about what I think about both of them.  A few takeaways:

1) Ruto was a believer in these big infrastructure projects as a way of transforming the country (before Ndii changed his mind)

2) Ndii says Ruto actually tried to implement his plans on the ground during the 1st term i.e. he actually does what he says he is going to do (they built 10k roads; put 5 million people on the electricity grid although most couldn't pay; tried to revive the dairy sector through cooperatives by buying fridges & started in Muranga until uhuru stopped it)

3) Ndii says his alignment with Ruto began because of his efforts to stop the BBI which he believed was an attempt to reverse the 2010 constitution and was going to be a disaster for the country

4) After aligning with Ruto to stop the BBI, they then started talking about economics (ruto reached out to him) -- Ndii was the first to tell ruto that his plans to implement his ideas in the 2nd term didn't work because of state capture -- e.g. his idea to help dairy farmers would threaten the Kenyatta's brookside; Other idea's would threaten northlands. Sounds like this was when ruto knew it was over.

5) Ndii has managed to change Ruto's economic ideology -- they will not focus on big infrastructure projects. Instead, they will focus on reviving the agricultural sector through cooperatives which make up 60% of Kenya's economy and get away from big projects.

6) The bottoms-up approach was worked on and sold for 4 years at the ground level (they totally out worked and out smarted uhuru who never seems to have seen this coming)

The alliance of Ndii and Ruto might just work.  Uhuru was just out-worked ( he was too focused on stealing) and they just out smarted everyone else in Uhuru's camp.

[RV Pundit]

Very true.I am like Ruto who believed gov job was to build basic infrastructure.Ruto is not afraid to change course once convinced it's wrong path.He is not economist.What you can count on Ruto is to deliver..just give him an actionable plan.Some of Ndii ideas are not..and Ruto has had to nail the basic..tell me what you want me to do?

[RV Heavy Hitter!]

This interview that Ndii gave might just change my mind about what I think about both of them.  A few takeaways:

1) Ruto was a believer in these big infrastructure projects as a way of transforming the country (before Ndii changed his mind)

2) Ndii says Ruto actually tried to implement his plans on the ground during the 1st term i.e. he actually does what he says he is going to do (they built 10k roads; put 5 million people on the electricity grid although most couldn't pay; tried to revive the dairy sector through cooperatives by buying fridges & started in Muranga until uhuru stopped it)

3) Ndii says his alignment with Ruto began because of his efforts to stop the BBI which he believed was an attempt to reverse the 2010 constitution and was going to be a disaster for the country

4) After aligning with Ruto to stop the BBI, they then started talking about economics (ruto reached out to him) -- Ndii was the first to tell ruto that his plans to implement his ideas in the 2nd term didn't work because of state capture -- e.g. his idea to help dairy farmers would threaten the Kenyatta's brookside; Other idea's would threaten northlands. Sounds like this was when ruto knew it was over.

5) Ndii has managed to change Ruto's economic ideology -- they will not focus on big infrastructure projects. Instead, they will focus on reviving the agricultural sector through cooperatives which make up 60% of Kenya's economy and get away from big projects.

6) The bottoms-up approach was worked on and sold for 4 years at the ground level (they totally out worked and out smarted uhuru who never seems to have seen this coming)

The alliance of Ndii and Ruto might just work.  Uhuru was just out-worked ( he was too focused on stealing) and they just out smarted everyone else in Uhuru's camp.

That is you sema? At least you have seen the little light. Uhuru told DP in 2017 that he was in for Kenyatta empire and ajipange. Ruto was like the whole time, I thought we are both in for Kenyans kumbe wewe ni personal interest. I think the DP thought the guy was drunk and NEVER meant it. In the fullness of time, we now know the guy was laser-focused on building the empire! Shindwe pepo, Ruto tosha!

[sema]

That is you sema? At least you have seen the little light.

After Ndii's explanations, I can now see the ideological alliance between the two.  With Uhuru and Raila, there was no ideological alliance besides uhuru trying to extend his presidential term. What is Azimio's ideological agenda? Where is it? Uhuru and Raila are driven by NOTHING and that's why they were beaten flat out.

[Nefertiti]

sema really? Bottom-up is a campaign message - SALES PITCH - not a Treasury session paper. Before it there were magically colorful posters & billboards of mechanized agric, stadia, etc. Many more of them than Ruto posters today. Which mostly came to nothing.

Ndii is a brilliant intellectual but not a pragmatist. His last known official "job" was NARC public finance advisor. You just need to look at his acrimonious and antagonistic tone for example when he debated Jubilee 1 infrastructure projects with Bitange Ndemo. He doesn't know how to debate - almost like Miguna - and Ndemo promptly fled the bareknuckles.

What Ndii gets right: Ruto was the author of SGR and mega infra - while Uhuru came with digital bla de bla of laptops for kids. Ruto is a brilliant marketer and quickly adapted TNA powerpoints into "digital vs analog" CORD in 2013. Ruto infra of course was a harebrained adoption of Kibaki economics without calculating the marginal returns. So while NARC had fairly good ROI Jubilee heavily indebted Kenya.

BOTTOM-UP... is sales 101. Obviously if you take it literally, GoK cannot finance jobless, uncreditable folks. SME owners - who are already WORKERS not jobless - can get quick, cheap loans yes. Those people already go to saccos and friendly banks - so you can say subsidize the loans. The people in CRB or Fuliza - the real poor - will not get any money from a sane financier. Those would be HANDOUTS. Ergo, a really poor person - who are the bulk fawning over the "hustler fund" - are better off voting for Raila 6k. Simple logic.

Note I am not saying anything about the effectiveness of bottom-up messaging. It is technically wrong and false - but political genius. Ndii's role is to provide economic creds nothing else. If you think Ndii is seriously advising Ruto that is just willful ignorance.