Days after fumbling while trying to explain Deputy President William Ruto’s bottom up economic model during an interview on Citizen TV, Kandara MP Alice Wahome has come out to explain what transpired.
Wahome who is one of Ruto’s strongest supporters and a supporter of his hustler movement last week caused a stir online after saying that the bottom up approach was about empowerment starting from the bottom going down.
This attracted criticism from Kenyans who said she did not understand the model she has been pushing alongside other MPs allied to DP Ruto.
Speaking on the gaffe for the very first time on Monday August 02, the lawmaker said that she just had a slip of the tongue.
“That was just a tongue-twister. I know that the bottom-up economic model discussion bothers the ‘Cerelac’ babies, Kieleweke team and the ODM party,” she told a leading local daily.
She noted thatr trending on social media because of a tongue twist is not bad.
“..the clip was taken out of context. I was attending a show for one and a half hours…I said several things but they chose to bring a seven-seconds clip to show that we don’t understand the model,” she said.
She said the other parties have no alternative model.
“..bring your model let us compete on ideas, not jokes. I will not be finished by a small tongue twist,” she added.
On Sunday, Ruto once again defended his bottom-up economic approach, saying it is a noble approach about helping others.
“People are confused about this bottom-up approach. It is about helping the weak. Christ himself has said blessed are those who help others,” Ruto said.
Ruto is rallying supporters around his hustler narrative, which he says is a “bottom-up-middle-out economic approach” that has been received with admiration and criticism in equal measure.
