President William Ruto yesterday came out guns blazing and fired a warning to opposition leader Raila Odinga against his planned resumption of anti-government demonstrations.
President Ruto said Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition should choose between talks and demonstrations, and stop engaging in doublespeak and threats of going back to the streets.
Dr Ruto said he won the elections fair and square and that state machinery would not allow the opposition leaders to cause chaos and destroy the property of innocent citizens. This happened on a day Mr Odinga returned to the country with plans to resume mass action beginning next week Tuesday.
Dr Ruto repeated the warning in his speeches at Merigi trading centre in Bomet, Ongata Rongai in Kajiado and in Embakasi, Nairobi.
“Enough is enough! We cannot allow anybody to cause violence, destroy people’s property and incite the people against each other to advance their selfish interests.” Dr Ruto said in Bomet.
“I have a constitutional right to ensure that the people’s lives and their property are protected by the government. They have their businesses which have not been destroyed or interfered with yet they are out to destroy the common man’s business,” Dr Ruto stated.
Dr Ruto, who was in the company of his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua , said his administration would not succumb to threats by the opposition.
“We chose to engage in bipartisan talks through parliament, but they have resorted to issuing threats for new demonstrations. We will not allow people’s property to be destroyed. Let them stop their nonsense. They should leave us alone,” he added.
Dr Ruto said the voters made their decision through the ballot in the August 9, 2022 poll and that he was validly elected as the President of Kenya
“If they (Azimio coalition) cannot engage with us through parliament, then they should leave us alone to roll out our development agenda for the people and wait for the 2027 poll.”
“The government will protect the people’s property at all times and we will not condone demonstrations. The people want development and not the destruction of property” Dr Ruto said while launching the construction of the 75-kilometre road running through Bomet East constituency, the only one in the South Rift region with only one kilometre of tarmac.
“The elections were concluded and declared (by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the threats to renew demonstrations will not be allowed by the government,” Dr Ruto said.
He made the remarks even as his seven-member team to the bipartisan talks agreed to drop Eldas MP Adan Keynan when the agenda of multiparty will be discussed as part of the compromise to allow the talks. The opposition has rejected the inclusion of Mr Keynan on the basis that he is a Jubilee MP, which is a partner party of the opposition coalition.
While in Kajiado, the President said Mr Odinga was not interested in peaceful talks, and that he would not allow destruction of property in the name of demonstrations.
Mr Gachagua echoed the President’s tough stance against Mr Odinga’s demos and said the President had stood firm to defend his win at the ballot. He said he would stay put and support his boss against blackmail by the opposition.
“The President is very strong in defence of the people. I will stand stronger. We shall not allow the politics of handshake to be revisited because they destroyed this country,” said Mr Gachagua.
DP Gachagua cautioned the opposition from distracting the president in his quest to stabilise the economy. He further implored Kenyans to ignore the call to demonstrate and instead work.
“Those who want to go on the streets, you’re welcome. You can go on the streets but don’t destroy private property,” he cautioned.
“Azimio must not be allowed space to keep destroying the economy we are trying hard to rebuild by blackmailing the government. They must choose the path of peace or the path of violence. We cannot have peaceful talks and on the other side, they are mobilising for demos. They cannot have their cake and eat it too,” said Mr Ichungwa.
While enumerating his development agenda so far, the President said his eyes were fixed on the ball and that he would not be distracted.
Reporting by Vitalis Kimutai, Samwel Owino, Stanley Ngotho and Daniel Ogetta
