Deputy President William Ruto has issued demands to the National Police Service (NPS) over the arrest of youths who disrupted his meeting and heckled him during his tour in Kisii County on Wednesday, December 8.
In a detailed statement posted on his official social media page, the second in command called for the immediate release of all those people who were apprehended.
Making fresh demands to the area law enforcement officers, the DP demanded for the arrest of influential political figures who were behind the chaos and disruption that rocked his meeting.
Ruto argued that the youths were only hired by his detractors without mentioning their names.
"We tell the law enforcers that as long as they are not going to charge the sponsors of these primitive activities, the young people should be spared from the unnecessary harassment and prosecution. Release the youths!" Ruto insisted.
Justifying his move, Ruto explained that at the moment, youths are overburdened by the high rate of unemployment making them easily coerced to engage in such unlawful activities.
"It is no surprise that those driving exclusive top-down model of governance find no place for youth, except to deploy them on retrogressive errands as witnessed in some of our meetings including today's successful tour of Kisii County.
This active marginalization of the youth is a characteristic of the old regressive order that has frustrated Kenya's progress and extinguished countless opportunities to achieve meaningful prosperity," the second in command explained.
Ruto was in Kisii popularising his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party and his Bottom-up economic model that forms part of his manifesto for the 2022 Presidential election.
DP however sounded a warning to the youths against being used to create division in the country ahead of the polls.
"I call on the youth to shun divisive activities and political errands aimed at further marginalising them and setting them up for blame and sanction."
That was the second instance DP was heckled within a week. During his tour in Laikipia County on Tuesday December 7, he was also heckled by some youths.
Although no arrests were made, Ruto lost his cool chasing the rowdy youths from his political rally after his attempts to calm them down fell on deaf ears.
"Stop disrupting my meeting. You have the liberty to organise your own. I will not allow you to come to my gathering to heckle me. Let us uphold some manners. This is my meeting. Let us respect each other," Ruto cut his speech short to face them off.
"Go and disrupt your own speakers," a visibly angry Ruto stated, adding that they were indisciplined and unruly.
