Step aside and let me face off with Raila, Kenyan VP Ruto tells President Uhuru

Deputy President William Ruto has taken the battle to become the fifth president of Kenya to the doorstep of his rival Raila Odinga asking President Uhuru Kenyatta to step aside to let them face-off.

Speaking during a rally in Murang’a, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) presidential candidate reminded the President that he is not in any battle with him but with Mr Odinga and he should leave the latter to him.

Although admitting that he will not get the President’s backing, the DP implored his boss to adopt a neutral stand in the August 9 polls and let him square it out with the Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate.

“I have tried to have a go at Raila but I cannot have a fair battle with him because he is hiding behind the President,” said the DP.

“So I am asking the President to step aside and let me battle it out with Raila since he has made it clear he will not stand by me,” he added.

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The DP has on several occasions implored President Kenyatta to remain and allow Kenyans to make their democratic choice freely. 

He said he is the most suitable candidate to succeed the president come August and would easily win in the polls.

However, the Kenya Kwanza Alliance leader expressed his disappointment at the decision taken by the Head of State not to support him even though he is the man who stood by him in the last two elections.

“Let me ask you, the day Uhuru was looking for someone to stand by him did Raila stand by him? I am the one who stood by him, is that so?” posed Dr Ruto.

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Nonetheless, he said he was confident of trouncing Mr Odinga come August 9 daring him to stop hiding behind the President and come out to face him.

“I have told the President to be neutral and leave Raila to me. I will defeat him (Raila) early in the morning,” he said.

For his part, the former premier has dismissed Dr Ruto as a junior politician who has no meaningful agenda to sell to Kenyans, telling him to brace for a tough political battle at the ballot on August 9.

Early this month while addressing mourners at Kanga Primary School in Migori County, the ODM party leader told off the DP for “constant chest thumping”.

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He also took a swipe at the DP for referring to him as a state project following Mr Odinga’s March 2018 handshake with President Uhuru Kenyatta that has culminated in the latter endorsing him for President.

“He constantly refers to me as a state project. If he is man enough then let him face off with me on August 9 and he will know that he was once my political student,” said Mr Odinga.

*Written by Collins Omullo