Leaders allied to Deputy President William Ruto on Sunday, January 12 came out strongly in his defense after the DP was reportedly barred from accessing his official residence in Mombasa County.
According to the Daily Nation, Ruto was forced to spend the night at the English Point Marina after arriving at his official residence only to find staff packing up his personal belongings, purportedly following orders from above.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, the Director of Communications at the Office of the Deputy President, Emmanuel Talam, claimed not to be aware of the happenings at the Coast but Ruto-allied MPs expressed fears that state officials were behind the incident.
"I'm not aware of the story. Go and ask Nation where they got the report," Talam asserted, noting that the DP usually spends the night at English Point Marina whenever he was in Mombasa.
Leaders including Senate Majority leader Kipchumba Murkomen, Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot and Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria hinted at unnamed state operatives being behind the reported woes, with Ruto-allied leaders having faced their own tribulations in recent times.
Kuria, who was released from police custody on Saturday, January 11, after being arrested for assault, disclosed to Kenyans.co.ke that some individuals were working hard to plot against them, vowing that they were in for a surprise.
"There are some people who are lying to themselves, and they should know they are in for a rude shock," Kuria told this writer on Sunday, January 12.
"It’s possible that DP’s office was preparing it for Ruto’s Deputy in 2022 but unfortunately it became ready earlier than expected. Just maybe," Murkomen posted on Twitter.
Senator Cheruiyot, on the other hand, compared Ruto to regular Kenyans who sometimes came home to find their doors locked due to unpaid rent.
"Like every Kawaida Hustler, the DP came back from Christmas to find the landlord had padlocked the gate...Usual January blues, am sure they shall pass. Stay the course William Ruto.
"There's a cheque am awaiting, ikipita nitakukumbuka (There's a cheque I'm awaiting, when it comes I'll remember you," he wrote on Twitter.
The DP's official residence in Mombasa was upgraded at a cost of Ksh152.4 million in 2018 having formerly been the residence of the Coast Provincial Commissioner under the defunct provincial administration.
It was expected that while on working trips to the Coast, DP Ruto would stay at the residence as opposed to putting up at beach hotels.
