President William Ruto is set to embark on an extensive tour of Mount Kenya that will run for seven days next week, with the stage set for a reunion with voters who once loved him but who are quickly turning their backs on him.
His agenda is well cut out with development being an overriding theme as he moves in to undo the damage inflicted by his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua and his troops.
The mount Kenya region relies heavily on Agriculture and eyes will be on the bag of goodies that the president will carry with him to note if there is anything to smile about.
In particular, coffee, tea and dairy farmers from the region will be keen to notre if there is anything that will benefit them, with tea farmers already feeling the pinch after Khartoum locked out Kenyan tea following a diplomatic tiff with Sudan.
READ: Inside brewing clash among Ruto allies over Mt Kenya Tour
Infrastructure development will also be in focus as a section of leaders from the region have claimed that the region has been lagging behind when it comes yo implementation of infrastructure projects with Gachagua claiming that no new project has been rolled out and even those that were commissioned by retired President Uhuru Kenyatta have stalled.
Access to markets for the region's fresh farm produce and agricultural inputs will also make it to the agenda of the development tour.
Giving an update on the promises he made to the region and what has been accomplished so far, countering claims by his critics that nothing much has been done on that front.
Although this is a development tour, politics is likely to feature as it is the first opportunity for the President to engage directly with voters and set the record straight on political rhetoric that his critics have been peddling in the region.
From the narrative sold by critics from Mt Kenya that the region got a raw deal in terms of government appointments despite supporting Ruto almost to a man to claims of political betrayal, the president and his men have it all on their plates.
The groundwork has been done by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and a host of leaders from the region who met the President at State House and afterwards hit the ground running to pave the way for the visit.
Gachagua coaches residents with a rate card
Ahead of the tour, self-styled truthful man, Rigathi Gachagua has set the stage by coaching residents on an elaborate rate card that should guide them during the period.
READ: Has Gachagua run out of steam in his offensive against Ruto? 7 Key developments
An experienced politician who once accompanied Ruto on such tours, Gachagua appears to be giving a secret, or at least what he knows perhaps from experience on how such tours are organised and has prepared residents for the harvest.
Addressing the public in Naivasha on Saturday, March 29, Gachagua noted that residents should not give the president the privilege of lying to them as has been the case in the past with promises that have remained unmet.
According to Gachagua, if they are to listen to any lies then it should come at a handsome price and Sh200 is not acceptable as the bare minimum is set at Sh3,000.
If you are going to listen to lies, ask for a hefty price because lies are a bad thing. Don't accept Ksh.200, listening to lies starts from Sh.3,000.
Women ululating comes at a cost of Sh 10,000 while clapping is pegged at Sh 2000 and laughing at any hilarious statement or joke that may be cracked should be valued at Sh 5000.
Women ululating is worth Ksh.10,000 and clapping is Ksh.2,000. Laughing in Sh5,000.
The money should be chanelled to specific uses as it is cursed and as such should not mix with other monies.
Don't worry. Get ready, money is coming in bags. Take it, but don't go home with it; it is cursed. Eat that money at the market. Do not mix it with the money you already have. If you have a loan with a shylock, use that money to pay it off
Gachagua sets the stage for Ruto's visit
To Gachagua, the visit will be Ruto's hour of reckoning as he comes face to face with disillusioned voters who have been waiting for his manifesto to be implemented and with some not impressed that the senior-most government official from the region was hounded out of office and his allies kicked out of parliamentary committees.
Gachagua told residents to welcome the president but hold him accountable for promises made to them when campaigning.
He accused his boss of perfecting the art of lying and embracing a hobby of dishing out promises one after the other, adding that the lies made it impossible for them to work together.
What has destroyed President Ruto’s government is lies; he is a liar, and that is the truth. He lies every time, and that is why we could not work together.
The former Deputy President also urged Ruto and his entourage to shun politics when they camp in the region.