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President William Ruto has declared that he will order investigations into the events of the last presidential election — however long it will take.

The President said he had gone slow on his pledge to institute investigations into what he described as “State capture” under the Jubilee administration because he did not want disruptions on his efforts to revive the economy.

In a televised interview with various media houses on Wednesday night, Ruto described the events of August 15, 2022 at the Bomas of Kenya during the announcement of presidential election results as “horrible.”

He was referring to the debacle at the national tallying centre during which Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chairman Wafula Chebukati claims that he had been approached by powerful government officials who put pressure on him not to announce Ruto as winner of the presidential race.

Sabotage

Ruto and his then running mate, Rigathi Gachagua, were facing off with Azimio-One Kenya flagbearer Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua. The Ruto ticket garnered 7.1 million votes against the Raila’s 6.9 million.

According to the President, even the military had been roped into the scheme to sabotage the will of the people as a result of “State capture”.

“The day the story of August 15 will be told in Kenya, you will know why I am delaying,” Ruto said. “I have to balance. Do I sort out the economy? We are almost in the red. Or do I swing this big thing that will drain our energy? I want to promise you that the story will be told one day.”

While on the campaign trail last July, Ruto allies Ndindi Nyoro (Kiharu MP) and the then Murang’a Senator Irungu Kang’ata (now governor) said that should Kenya Kwanza Alliance form a government, it would will form a commission of inquiry on “State capture”.

At the time, Kang’ata noted that key sectors of the economy were in the hands of a few powerful families, a trend that the commission would be keen to reverse.

And yesterday, Ruto said: “This State capture (probe) will be done one day. We will establish a commission one day. If you were to sit where I am sitting right now, you will know why I have to go slow on certain things to allow the country to get out of the mess we are in without overloading it with so many other issues.”

Gender rule

On the campaign trail, Kang’ata had alleged that a few families dominated key sectors of the economy, including energy.

“The extent of capture needs a study, hence the proposal. State capture retards development. It establishes negative linkages between politics and economy. This has nothing to do with Uhuru. It has everything to do with Kenyans’ wellbeing,” Kang’ata said.

In the TV interview, Ruto also addressed other challenges facing his administration, including a court ruling that Parliament should be disbanded for failing the one-third-gender rule.

He said he had already proposed the issue of the one-third-gender rule to be resolved through nomination of women legislators, acknowledging that he had made a commitment to women that his administration would be more inclusive. He also acknowledged that he failed in meeting the gender rule in his nomination of Cabinet and Principal Secretaries but defended himself, arguing that he had to balance many factors, such as regional representation and other considerations.

“I could have done better,” he said.

Ruto also defended his push for legislators to set up the Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition saying this will strengthen the country’s democracy and ensure checks on his government.

This had unflattering words about the March 9, 2018 “Handshake” between his predecessor, the then President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila, which he claimed was an illegality that his government would not contemplate.

“Let us create a forum for an alternative government to also function to keep government in check,” he said.

“It has been my stand that we need an office of the opposition leader as an institution. I have no business fixing a job for Raila Odinga. He is not my interest.”

Raila close ally, former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, has already expressed interest in occupying the office, with his allies arguing that this would position him to run against Ruto in 2027.

And on Wednesday, Ruto said: “I am an open book that is why I want a vibrant opposition. How did we get here? We got here because of the Handshake nonsense. We got here because, you get the opposition which is supposed to hold government to account, into some illegal cohabitation in the name of unity.

“Who says by having an opposition we are not united. Kenyans voted in this election, there are as many people in Azimio as there are in Kenya Kwanza?”

DPP decisions

Ruto also pledged to steer clear of interfering with the Judiciary, saying he was yet to call the Chief Justice to influence the outcome of a case. He was responding to questions over whether the dropping of charges against his allies, including Gachagua, was the result of political interference.

“The Office of the President will not be used in the criminal justice system against my opponents or for any political purpose. I can sign off as William Ruto; it will not happen,” he said.

On the cases of some of his Cabinet Secretaries being dropped by the Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji, President Ruto claimed the previous administration used the criminal justice system for political gain. He distanced himself from claims that he had a hand in dropping of the charges.

In the wide-ranging interview, he described himself as a firm believer in building political parties as institutions of governance and democracy, adding that a government is as good as its political parties. He said the only way to detribalise the country was by making political parties strong, credible and issue-based.

“You must give credit to my former party, ODM,” he said. “They have existed long enough. Unfortunately for me, the Jubilee Party was destroyed by characters. I will make sure that there will be adequate resources always for political parties,” he said even as he acknowledged that parties were yet to receive funding from the government because of a pending court case.