Unlike his bravado at political rallies where DP Ruto has been taking his boss head-on on programmes the Jubilee administration has rolled out, he conceded that he might have fallen short of President Kenyatta’s expectations for the last 10 years, and asked to be forgiven for it.
“I also know that serving as a Deputy President, I may have fallen short of the expectations of my boss President Uhuru Kenyatta. My good friend, I ask for your forgiveness,” said Dr Ruto.
Speaking during the 19th national prayer breakfast, the DP said he wanted the country to go into the August 9 General Election without grudges among leaders or among Kenyans.
To this end, he said, he had forgiven those who might have wronged him.
“I also know that in this journey, many people have hurt me but in this prayer breakfast, I forgive everybody. I want us to go into this election free of the debt of heart and free of the debt of forgiveness,” said DP Ruto.
He went ahead: “We are all human beings and the Bible says that we have fallen short. Where we have fallen short to all, I ask for forgiveness and all those who have wronged me, I forgive you with a clean heart so that we can transition into the next phase minus any debt from anybody.”
He also asked Kenyans for forgiveness for the failures of the Jubilee administration for the last 10 years, admitting that they had let down the people.
“As people of Kenya, we have failed you in certain aspects because we have not been united as we should be, we have failed in some areas. We ask, and specifically myself, I ask for your forgiveness,” he said.
While in Bungoma recently, the DP told off President Kenyatta over the failures of the Jubilee Administration in the second term, arguing that the Head of State had asked him to take a backbench seat.
He said President Kenyatta should blame individuals that he had given the responsibilities that were supposed to be discharged by him.
"I have supported the President since 2002, until he told me that he no longer [needed] my advice. Even now, he has realised that the people whom he gave work to have done nothing. The only thing I would want to request, let no one blame me for whatever I have not been involved in," the DP said.
He went ahead: "When I used to help President Uhuru Kenyatta, there was no gap anywhere. Currently, there are people who are trying to lecture me that I have absconded from my responsibilities, let them tell me what I was assigned and I didn't discharge."
Dr Ruto insisted that he discharged all duties that his boss assigned him and those outlined in the Constitution while extending an olive branch to Mr Kenyatta, saying that he was ready to step in and assist.
"When I am required to give any advice, discharge any responsibility, I am ready because I am the Deputy President until August 8," said DP Ruto.
But on Thursday, he also promised that whatever the outcome of August 9 polls, peace will continue to prevail and if his side is defeated, they will concede, something he expects of his main challenger in the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya coalition .
“There is a lot of anxiety about what will happen with the elections. We will do everything possible within our power to make sure that the elections are peaceful. We will go out of our way,” he said.
