NAIROBI Kenya, Aug 1 — President Uhuru Kenyatta on Sunday denied allegations by Deputy President William Ruto, his friend-turned-foe, that he could be working on a scheme to eliminate him or members of his family.
Ruto, in an escalating public spat with Kenyatta whom he fell out with in 2018, said he was ready to pay the ultimate price in a soaring conflict with the Head of State but asked him to keep his family out of it.
“As long as you don’t kill my children, I am ready to face you in this election with your project,” Ruto said while claiming a desperate attempt to hand Raila Odinga, Kenyatta’s preferred successor whom he labelled as a ‘project’, the reigns of power by sabotaging elections.
“Stop engaging me my friend, kindly push your own candidate. Mr President please, stop talking about me, talk about your candidate. Tell us Raila’s agenda and leave William Ruto alone,” Ruto added.
President Kenyatta however fired back on Sunday saying he had no intention to harm Ruto despite what he termed as provocation by Deputy President.
“There is no need of telling people that I want to kill you,” President Kenyatta charged in off the cuff remarks during the launch of the Nairobi Expressway.
“Haven’t you insulted me for three years? Has anyone touched you? Have I not been in government in the three years when I had all the powers?” he posed.
President Kenyatta said Ruto should instead focus on his campaign adding that he was prepared to hand over power to whoever wins the August 9 presidential election.
Kenyatta said in case the DP doesn’t win, he should be ready to “retire with me.”
“There is no need for abuses, everybody including myself has the freedom of electing anybody they want, the decision lies with Kenyans there is no need for talking about other leaders,” Kenyatta said.
The president further stated that we should be calm and do the right thing as leaders and tell Kenyans what they will do for them.
President Kenyatta has in weeks leading to the election deescalated his rhetoric suggesting he would not hand over power to Ruto whom his camp has labelled as a thief.
“I am very clear that I will not hand over power to a thief,” he once told a gathering at Nairobi’s Inland Container Depot in May 2019 in the company of Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho.
The remarks at the time marked the onset of an all-out war within the ruling Jubilee Party that saw Ruto declared persona non-grata at the party’s headquarters and later his replacement with four other deputy party leaders at a meeting chaired by Kenyatta in his capacity as Party Leader.
The ruling party also purged Ruto allies from key parliamentary leadership slots and committees including long-serving House Majority Leader Aden Duale.
Jubilee subsequently formalized cooperation with independent party KANU paving way for the removal of Senator Kipchumba Murkomen as Majority Leader in the Senate with Samuel Pogishio taking his place.
Susan Kihika also lost the Majority Whip slot.
And in August 2021, the government ordered the downscaling of Ruto’s security detailing withdrawing the elite GSU company from all his residences including the official State residence and replaced with Administration Police officers.
The National Police Service termed the dramatic redeployment as part of routine reorganization.
