Ruto to Rift leaders: Uhuru dumped me despite my loyalty but now depends on me
President William Ruto is flanked on his left side by his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta and visiting Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye, among other leaders.
President William Ruto has maintained that his predecessor, Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, frustrated and humiliated him, despite his loyalty to him.
Speaking at Eldoret State Lodge on Monday and Tuesday, the Head of State used his relationship with the former President to teach politicians from his Rift Valley backyard the importance of standing by the electorate and their campaigners. He called on them to stay true to their loyal followers, reminding them that Mr Kenyatta now depends on him.
According to Dr Ruto, Mr Kenyatta did everything to ensure he did not ascend to power in the August General Election, by supporting Azimio la Umoja One Kenya chief Raila Odinga, who never rallied behind him in the 2013 and 2017 elections.
“Uhuru fought me, frustrated and humiliated me, despite my loyalty to him for many years. He betrayed me by siding with individuals who never supported him, but now, where is he? I am now the President,” one of the MPs who attended the meeting quoted Dr Ruto.
The President is said to have added: “Do not abandon your campaign team or friends, you will need them. Uhuru fought me but now, he depends on me for many things.”
Mr Kenyatta has been in the Democratic Republic of Congo as the facilitator of the East African Community-led Nairobi peace process and African Union peace envoy.
Dr Ruto’s remarks did not resonate with Jubilee secretary general Jeremiah Kioni, who said the former Mr Kenyatta does not depend on the goodwill of the current administration in his regional peace duties. He said Mr Kenyatta’s peace efforts are due to the honour accorded to him for what he did while in office.
President William Ruto during an interdenominational Christmas service at Eldoret Sports Club in Uasin Gishu County on Sunday.
“The former President does not depend on the goodwill of President Ruto for the peace initiatives he is involved in. Even if it was an appointment, it was a personal choice, not an employment he was looking for. He has been honoured for what he did while in office. He must have commanded respect to be given this assignment,” said Mr Kioni.
The former Ndaragwa MP urged Dr Ruto to focus on his campaign pledges, instead of always discussing how he was frustrated by the previous administration, a claim he further dismissed.
“Uhuru did not frustrate Ruto at all. It is Ruto who frustrated himself. He was the deputy president but undermining his boss. If he respected the former president as he claims, he would not reverse policies or projects of the former administration. He thought he would embarrass the former president by reversing his projects, but it has turned out that he is the one with the egg on his face,” said Mr Kioni, asking the President to let his predecessor enjoy peaceful retirement instead of invoking his name for political expediency.
This comes after Mr Odinga defended Mr Kenyatta, saying the former Head of State provided an environment conducive to campaigns by all candidates, noting that there is no need for blame games.
“Uhuru was not supposed to be campaigning for me. I am a politician in my own right and capable of campaigning and winning elections and he knows it. He did not use his position as the incumbent president to swing the results in my favour. He did not use the security forces, he did not give instructions to the police, the National Intelligence Service and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to support me in any way,” Mr Odinga said.
“I got a lot of votes in Uhuru’s backyard and that is where most rigging was done. I want to thank the people of Central Kenya for voting for me the way they did. I am very grateful to them for doing that.”
