DP William Ruto turns guns on Gideon Moi and backs Uhuru’s 2017 campaign
DP William Ruto waves at a crowd when he arrived for a public meeting at Bishop Marcarios school in Nandi county. Mr Ruto urged locals to shun Kanu “because it is a dead party.” PHOTO | DPPS
What you need to know:
- Ruto said Kanu was behind the political tribulations of former Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi.
- Mr Ruto also told off URP and Kalenjin leaders who have been mounting pressure on him to run against President Kenyatta in 2017.
- On Friday, Mr Ruto was in Baringo, home of Senator Moi, who is fighting the Deputy President for political supremacy in the Rift Valley.
- On his Baringo tour, Mr Ruto was flanked by, among others, Jubilee MPs Ferdinand Waititu (Kabete) and Rachel Shabesh
Deputy President William Ruto Sunday completed his whirlwind weekend tour of the Rift Valley with stinging criticism of Baringo Senator Gideon Moi’s Kanu party.
Mr Ruto at the same time reiterated that he would not challenge President Kenyatta in the race for State House in 2017, turning down appeals by members of his United Republican Party for on him to run for presidency.
The Deputy President, who was speaking in Aldai Constituency, Nandi County Sunday, said Kanu was behind the political tribulations of former Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi “as they misled him to run for presidency against Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013.”
“Today, Mr Mudavadi is in the political cold because of listening to Kanu party leaders who misled him into believing he could beat President Kenyatta,” said the Deputy President.
“Narc leader Martha Karua is also out of Parliament because she was misled into fighting President Kenyatta who enjoyed massive support among voters in Kenya,” he added.
Mr Ruto also told off URP and Kalenjin leaders who have been mounting pressure on him to run against President Kenyatta in 2017 saying he and the President had an agenda of uniting Kenyans and focusing on development.
“I will not abandon President Kenyatta but will work under him until his term ends in 2022. I will not make the mistake which Mudavadi, Odinga and Karua made,” he said.
He explained that ex-President Moi was loyal to founding President Jomo Kenyatta before ascending to presidency and going by the same script, he will wait until President Kenyatta’s term runs out in 2022.
URP Members of Parliament, led by Mr Alfred Keter (Nandi Hills), and Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto have implored Mr Ruto to run for the presidency in 2017.
On Friday, Mr Ruto was in Baringo, home of Senator Moi, who is fighting the Deputy President for political supremacy in the Rift Valley.
Speaking in Tiaty Constituency during the launch of a Sh300 million irrigation scheme, Mr Ruto urged locals to shun Kanu “because it is a dead party.”
“Hiyo nyumba ya Kanu muhame. Tulimalizana nayo. Chama sasa ni hii ya Jubilee. (You should dump Kanu. We left there. The party of the moment is Jubilee),” Mr Ruto said.
Senator Moi is Kanu’s chairman.
On his Baringo tour, Mr Ruto was flanked by, among others, Jubilee MPs Ferdinand Waititu (Kabete) and Rachel Shabesh (Nairobi Women Representative).
