Kenya's Deputy President (DP), William Ruto, once launched a scathing attack on the office of the president following elections he termed "stolen".
DP Ruto aired out his fiery speech at the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party headquarters in Lavington immediately after former President Mwai Kibaki was hurriedly sworn in as the duly elected president on December 30, 2007.
Having played a key role in securing countless votes for his partner, Raila Odinga, especially in the Rift Valley, DP Ruto was visibly agitated by the results.
"It is not guesswork, the election was stolen right there in that hall (referring to KICC). People in the Electoral Commission admitted it, agreed to an audit and they were unwilling to do anything," an angry Ruto remarked.
In his autobiography, The Flame of Freedom, former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga highlighted DP Ruto's zealous speech following the disputed election results.
The ODM stalwart supporter went on to inform the people gathered that the international community was fully behind any actions they decided to take.
"If we stand our ground, they (international community) will stand with us. It is possible to drive Kibaki out of State House, they are saying they do not want bloodshed yet they are the ones orchestrating the bloodshed," he announced.
Ruto went on to warn his fellow opposition party leaders from accepting any form of advances to take up lucrative positions in government, citing that it was a move meant to divide them.
"They know that they did not win and they are just waiting to buy people. We should stand our ground on the basis of facts and democratic rights," he noted.
Ruto, who went to serve as Minister for Agriculture, and later on headed the Education Ministry, after the formation of the Grand Coalition Government in 2008 also pointed out Kibaki's scrambled swearing-in ceremony as evidence of election malpractice.
"Kibaki was sworn in 20 minutes after the announcement at KICC, some minutes to 7pm. If it was genuine, they wouldn't be giving us a national media blackout," he lamented.
