President Uhuru Kenyatta on Friday, March 6, played coy with pleas made to him by Nyeri County residents after he made an impromptu visit to Chaka open-air market.
After addressing the crowd, Kenyatta boarded his vehicle and left as the resident chanted Ruto's name, urging Kenyatta to pass their wishes to him.
"Go greet Ruto! Shake his hand! Ruto!Ruto!," some of the residents roared.
Kenyatta's relationship with the DP has been a subject of debate for long, as analysts also argued that the two were in a cold war over Ruto's efforts to infiltrate his boss's backyard, Mt. Kenya.
On Friday, January 31, Kenyatta, while speaking in native Kikuyu at Kinangop, Nyandarua County, made a thinly veiled confession on how he had lost his belief in his deputy and close allies whom the head of state had delegated the launch of projects to.
He declared that he had taken upon himself to launch and inspect projects, after finding out that most of them had stalled.
"I no longer trust anyone. Those I used to send to represent me and ensure that development projects are on the right track started behaving like hyenas and doing their own things to enrich themselves. Let no one cheat you from today. I no longer trust anyone," Kenyatta ranted.
{"preview_thumbnail":"/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/AiF7icFFD-g.jpg?itok=xEvWVs1e","video_url":"
Ruto on his end has numerously accused Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga of infiltrating Jubilee Party and hijacking Kenyatta's Building Bridges Initiative to use it to satisfy his (Odinga's) own agenda.
"If this story we are being told about nobody can stop reggae…If the reggae is what we are seeing; the ethnicity that is being preached in BBI rallies and the ethnic profiling of communities, and the hate and campaign of one community against the other. If that is the reggae they are talking about… My friend reggae shall stop. We shall stop it," Ruto stated on Sunday, February 23, at Full Gospel Gatunduri Church in Embu.
As Kenyatta dished goodies to the some of the residents he engaged with in Nyeri, after he bought KDF's from a local vender, his deputy watched as a fight ensued in his event in Kandara, Murang'a County in Mt Kenya region.
Murang'a Governor Mwangi wa Iria (Kenyatta's ally) and his supporters stormed the ceremony as Kandara MP Alice Wahome was addressing the audience at Kandara Technical and Vocational College.
Iria availed himself despite not being invited and defended his contentious Avocado Processing and Marketing Bill 2020 which Wahome and Murang'a Senator Irungu Kangata were opposing.
"I said that I do not want to hear people inciting others over the avocado bill and there is bribe money that has been circulating. There is no avocado that will cost less than Ksh 15," he stated as he was shouted down by residents.
Mathira MP Rigathi Gachagua, slammed Iria via his Facebook page, after he had Iria of disrupting the meeting.
"To my shock and disbelief one of the goons shouting at the top of his voice was a nominated MCA from my home county, one Patrick Mutahi, who am told wants to be a Senator. Angry parents and residents descended on the goons with blows and kicks as the Deputy President watched in displeasure.
"The police watched helplessly as the Governor and his goons tried to disrupt a function attended by the DP. Just how secure is the country's second in command? I thank the people of Kandara for protecting their own meeting as police watched helplessly and for 'stopping reggae'. This reggae will be stopped by ordinary people," Gachagua posted.
After calm had been restored at the event, Ruto asked leaders to unite and preach unity, which would see the nation develop.
"Kenya cannot be changed on words only. The problem in Kenya is not leadership or power or positions, but Kenyans themselves who are in need of education, water, roads, electricity and money in their pockets.
"We shall cooperate and ask MPs, MCAs and Kenyans to agree on how we shall unite, we do not want politics based on tribalism and violence. BBI should not also be used to divide but unite Kenyans," he told the crowd.
Video:
{"preview_thumbnail":"/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/YsIe-Io-T5Q.jpg?itok=lzwTjSbM","video_url":"
{"preview_thumbnail":"/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/4L0fXW-FRP8.jpg?itok=pGl7sT1v","video_url":"
