Aaron Cheruiyot slams politicians opposing govt empowerment drive
By Luke Oluoch, August 1, 2025Kericho County Senator Aaron Cheruiyot has slammed those behind the scheme to abolish the ongoing empowerment programmes being conducted by the Kenya Kwanza administration aimed at uplifting the lives of people across the country.
Speaking in Baringo County on Friday, August 1, 2025, the senator castigated the individuals for having ulterior motives of not wanting to see other people’s livelihoods transformed.
Cheruiyot argues that the majority of those opposed to the programmme are wealthy individuals, expressing his dismay at the furore meant to change people’s fortunes.
Dishing out cash
“They have now gone to court to stop the empowerment program. I want to tell courts to also listen to wananchi and see if they want empowerment stopped or not. I have seen them saying the DP is walking across the country dishing out cash. Everyone has a right to give out his money; they can also dish out theirs,” he said.
Cheruiyot justified that the program has been instrumental in transforming the lives of people, arguing that it has not in any way obstructed the government from delivering its programs.
“We have women and children engaging in small-scale businesses like selling vegetables and others in the boda boda sector. We have not said we are stopping government projects. We are saying as we continue with government projects, we also empower women and children so that they can access affordable cash and continue their livelihoods and sustain their businesses,” he stated.
“It is not that these people don’t have money; they are only jealous and don’t want to see other people being helped,” he stated.
Waste of taxpayers money
His sentiments come after former DP Rigathi Gachagua and Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale tore into the functions as a waste of taxpayers money.
Khalwale on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, publicly raised concerns over the ongoing empowerment drives being conducted by the Kenya Kwanza administration, particularly those led by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and other senior officials.
He argues that the current wave of empowerment drives characterised by monetary donations and Harambees was never part of the documented development blueprint. Khalwale views these activities as a departure from the structured economic plans agreed upon by the coalition’s founders.
“As founders of UDA, we held regional economic caucuses across the country, which informed the Kenya Kwanza manifesto. I can confirm that Harambees, aka empowerment drives, were not part of the manifesto,” Khalwale said.
The Kenya Kwanza government has been conducting empowerment drives across various regions, focusing on distributing funds and resources to support grassroots communities, particularly women, youth, and small-scale traders.
These initiatives, led by figures such as Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, involve events where millions of shillings are disbursed, often accompanied by promises of economic upliftment under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.