This archive report was first published on 16 August 2019.
Published on August 16, 2019, Deputy President William Ruto has asked Kenyans not to allow the referendum debate to divide them.
Speaking in Kakamega County during the burial ceremony of Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali's son, Chris Ademah Masaka, Dr Ruto emphasized that the fate of the proposed referendum will be determined by the people through the ballot.
Mr Masaka, a mechanical engineer in the US army, died in Phoenix, Arizona earlier this month while trying to rescue a drowning 13-year-old boy.
Leaders present at the ceremony included MPs Malulu Injendi, Benjamin Washiali, Dan Wanyama, John Waluke, Emmanuel Wangwe, and Raphael Wanjala, among others.
Mr Washiali asked Kenyans to support a referendum that will empower them, not one that will create more positions and take away resources.
On his part, Mr Aseka called on leaders to focus on service delivery and transforming people's lives.
A section of the leaders also asked Amani National Congress party leader Musalia Mudavadi to team up with Dr Ruto ahead of the 2022 presidential race.
Later in Kericho, Dr Ruto urged the National Assembly and the Senate to expedite the revenue sharing quagmire 'so that counties can move forward.'
