Prime
I won't resign, William Ruto tells Raila Odinga as war of words rages
Former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga (left) and Deputy President William Ruto.
What you need to know:
- Ruto took a swipe at Mr Odinga, asking him to retire from active politics noting that he had run out of ideas.
Deputy President William Ruto yesterday dismissed claims that he absconded his duties, adding that he will not quit his job.
President Uhuru Kenyatta on May 1 had accused Mr Ruto of deserting his duties and asked him to resign.
Mr Ruto, however, said yesterday that he would not resign, noting that he has discharged all his responsibilities according to the constitution.
The DP asked ODM leader Raila Odinga to stop asking him to resign, since as the assistant to the President, he had performed all the duties assigned to him by the Head of State.
“I want to ask them to point out any single assignment, any advice or any call that the President directed to my office and failed. I have discharged all responsibilities that the President directed to me or to my office accordingly,” said Mr Ruto at Buchifi market in Mumias West constituency.
Retire from politics
He blamed President Kenyatta of tainting his (Mr Ruto’s) image as his deputy in the course of campaigning for Mr Odinga.
“Fisi akitaka kula watoto wake husema wananuka kama mbuzi (When a hyena wants to eat its cubs, it claims they smell like a goat). That is what the President did to forsake me,” he said.
He took a swipe at Mr Odinga, asking him to retire from active politics noting that he had run out of ideas.
He said through his handshake with President Kenyatta, Mr Odinga scuttled the Big Four Agenda of the Jubilee administration at the expense of the Building Bridges Initiative that wasted taxpayers’ money in vain.
He further accused him of breaking up the Jubilee Party and wasting five years of President Kenyatta’s leadership without any development project.
“You are old enough to retire from politics and go home,” he told Mr Odinga. Mr Ruto said the handshake had helped Kenyans to know who Mr Odinga really is, one who does not care about the common mwananchi.
Corruption
“We now know that his purported fight against corruption was merely lip-service because his lieutenants have raided Kenya Medical Supplies Authority and stole money that was meant for purchase of drugs and other medical essentials for the benefit of Kenyans,” he claimed.
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ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi and his Ford Kenya counterpart Moses Wetang’ula dismissed the country’s economic growth statistics released by the Treasury yesterday. Mr Mudavadi said Kenya’s economic standing was worse than before the Jubilee government came into power.
“It is a lie and the government needs to apologise because every Kenyan understands that the country’s economy is doing poorly,” said Mr Mudavadi.
Mr Ruto promised to extend electricity connection, expand road networks and improve health facilities.
*Written by Shaban Makhoka
