President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, have escalated their verbal duel, with the latest altercation inclining to the recent crackdown on boda bodas.
Uhuru did not mince his words in a public response to Ruto who claimed that the government was at fault for seizing motorbikes and mistreating the riders in a bid to weed out rogue operators who have invaded the sector.
The President, while speaking in Kariobangi, Nairobi, on Friday, March 18, noted that the DP and other leaders were politicizing the matter. Uhuru addressed the issue after opening the Margaret Kenyatta Children's Hospital in the area.
His main point of concern was that politicians were using the current national conversation on the boda boda sector to gain influence.
He assured boda boda operators that he will hold a meeting with them to forge a way forward after the industry came under scrutiny following the assault of a Zimbabwean diplomat along Forest Road.
"I know that you have seen what some of the politicians are saying about boda boda. Ignore them. I promise that we will hold a meeting soon with some of you so that we can create a framework to respect women and still work," the President stated.
His comments came days after DP Ruto accused the government of harbouring ulterior motives by confiscating motorbikes of boda boda operators.
DP Ruto urged boda boda operators in Nairobi to pick their motorcycles from police stations, an order which his critics argued may have sparked a revolution against the law enforcers.
In his argument, Ruto stated that the police were used by the political class to oppress the riders and should not have enforced the law on operators who had not broken the law.
"I have also said that all boda boda operators whose motorcycles were confiscated and they were charged unlawful fines should go to the police stations and collect their motorcycles and their money be refunded.
"Criminals are people who break the law. The ones who assaulted the woman at Forest Road are criminals and they should be arrested by police, charged and face the law. But they should not victimize boda boda operators," he added.
