Ruto: I value Uhuru more than my opponents do

Deputy President William Ruto has come under scathing attack after audio emerged of him confessing that he nearly slapped President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Suna East MP Junet Mohamed on Sunday, July 3, 2022, during a rally in Homa Bay county, played an audio clip of Ruto confessing how he almost slapped Uhuru in 2017.

In the 90-second audio, Ruto is heard saying that he pushed Uhuru to participate in the repeat presidential poll after losing a petition at the Supreme Court in 2017.

The Kenya Kwanza Alliance presidential flag bearer was reportedly addressing elders from the Kikuyu community who paid him a visit on Friday, July 1, 2022, at his official residence in Karen, Nairobi.

The DP said he was involved in a heated argument that nearly degenerated into a physical confrontation with the president in the State House on September 1, 2017.

Apparently, this was after Uhuru suggested that he was not keen on taking part in the repeat poll ordered by the seven-judge bench led by retired Chief Justice David Maraga.

Ruto said it took a lot of prodding to have the president participate in the polls against Raila, who had challenged Jubilee’s victory citing election irregularities.

Ruto insists he values Uhuru more

While responding to leaked audio where he talked about a time when he almost slapped the President, Ruto said he did not want Uhuru to lose the presidency to then NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga.

“Even if I forced Uhuru Kenyatta to be President, is there a problem? Azimio supporters should stop this nonsense. They are spreading a recording saying that Ruto forced Uhuru to be president. If you were me, would you have accepted Uhuru to abandon us with the way we had pushed him?” Ruto posed during a political rally in Central Imenti, Meru County on Monday, July 4.

He added:

“I used to wake up, hold three campaigns before the President woke up because he was my friend and there is no way I would let Raila take that seat away from him.”

The DP reiterated his statement in a tweet, bashing ODM for ‘pretending’ to value President Kenyatta more than the people who voted for him in 2013 and 2017.

“Stop the charade. ODM should stop pretending to value President Uhuru Kenyatta more than those who overwhelmingly supported him in 2013 and 2017: More than those who worked tirelessly to make him President. Those who stood by him. Stop this conmanship,” Ruto tweeted.