Muthama links Ruto to hate speech arrests

Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama on Sunday sensationally claimed that the plot to arrest the “Pangani Six” and “Muthaiga Two” was hatched at State House by Deputy President William Ruto and Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph Nkaissery.

Mr Muthama further accused the two officials of “a conspiracy to silence the Opposition in its fight against the many ills being perpetrated by the Jubilee government”.

He also accused the leaders of misusing the police by giving them unconstitutional orders aimed at harassing those who were keen on exposing corruption in government.

“Ruto should stop attacking the Opposition. We are well prepared to send him home in the next General Election. He should stop misleading Kenyans. He gave orders for our arrest but we are prepared for any eventuality,” he said.

He made the remarks during the homecoming party for Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire in Nyamira County. The event was attended by Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) leader Raila Odinga and a host of MPs, senators and other Opposition leaders.

Mr Odinga said Cord would root for reforms within the police force to make it more independent and free of manipulation by the government.

“We fought so hard to bring about all the changes which we are witnessing in the country, but the Jubilee government is eroding all the freedoms and have now decided to take us back to the era of one-party which we had long forgotten,” said the former Prime Minister.

“We will fight hard to resist such attempts and if it will mean going out into the streets again, then let it be,” he added.

Mr Odinga addressed three rallies at Keroka market, Magombo and Manga Stadium, where he took a jibe at the Jubilee administration for allegedly embezzling billions of shillings through NYS projects, Eurobond and other corrupt deals in government departments.

“It’s unfortunate that more than three years since we ushered devolution, the government has sent only Sh600 billion to counties, while over Sh5 trillion which the national government had reserved cannot be accounted for adequately,” he said.

Other leaders who addressed the rallies were governors James Ongwae (Kisii) and John Nyagarama (Nyamira), MPs Charles Geni, James Gesami, Junet Mohammed, Tom Kajwang and Silvance Osele, and senators James Orengo and Janet Ong’era.