Deputy President William Ruto's admission that he nearly slapped his boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta after the Supreme Court's nullification of the 2017 General Election, has ignited a new national debate that has seen the Azimio coalition react with fury.
The Nation reported it had an audio recording from a Friday, July 1, meeting between Ruto and Kikuyu elders at his Karen residence where Ruto stated the President was so distraught with the ruling, to a point that he almost thought of giving up and withdrawing from the race to retreat to his home in Ichaweri.
While addressing the elders, Ruto alleged that he nearly slapped his boss for hinting that he would not participate in the 2017 repeat elections - a decision that would have handed the opposition the victory, National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential candidate, Raila Odinga.
"Here is the President and he says he is not keen on taking part in the repeat elections and that he wants to go to Ichaweri (his home village in Kiambu County), that we should abandon this thing.”
"I looked at him and told him ‘you!’ It’s only that I was being respectful, I would have slapped him. How could we just quit?" he stated.
Suna East Member of Parliament, Junet Mohamed, during a rally at Oyugis, Homa Bay County, urged Kenyans to think about the extent that the DP would go should he succeed his boss in the upcoming August 9 poll.
"A man who says he nearly assaulted the sitting President will not hesitate to murder his political opponents, as individuals and as communities. Kenya must reject William Ruto. Kenya will reject William Ruto," Suna East MP Junet Mohamed stated in a statement.
The Suna East MP added that the fallout between Uhuru and Ruto had started way before the handshake and that the DP had allegedly approached Raila to endorse an impeachment motion against the President.
"The truth is that their relationship went bad in the first term. Ruto was always being linked to corruption and undermining his boss. He actually approached us with the promise that the impeachment motion against Uhuru would be the first agenda of Parliament. When Uhuru learnt about it he asked for our help," Junet added.
Former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth also weighed in on the DP's remarks, noting that the actions indicated the true history of the fallout between President Kenyatta and his deputy.
"He has been lying that Raila caused problems between him and Uhuru, but today we read his own confession that the problems had started long before the handshake. In 2017, he was even threatening to beat up Uhuru - showing just how their relationship had deteriorated," Kenneth stated during the Oyugis rally presided over by Raila.
Senior advisor to the Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga, Silas Jakakimba also advised the public not to take such type of remarks lightly.
"William Ruto, with his anger and unguided verbose rate, must be saved by voters on August 9, not just from Mr. GGMA aka Give Gachagua Mike Again but, also from himself too. It will happen inshallah and my guess is that he may reach Sugoi earlier than Mr. Kenyatta will land Ichaweri."
Ruto credited himself for being the force that repeatedly urged Uhuru to take part in the repeat poll, arguing that there was no way that the Jubilee party could have lost in the repeat presidential election.
"I told him there was no way we could just quit when we had won the election. We had more MPs, more governors and senators. We had done a lot of work," he stated.
Ruto was flanked by Kiama Kìa Ma Captain (Rtd) Kung'u Muigai, Kenya Kwanza running mate, Rigathi Gachagua, Speaker of the National Assembly Justin Muturi, Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria, and his Kikuyu counterpart Kimani Ichung'wa among others.
