I will jail Gachagua if he’s found culpable – Ruto
Deputy President William Ruto has vowed that he will not shield his running mate Rigathi Gachagua from the corruption cases he is facing if he is elected President in the August 9 poll.
Speaking during an interview on a local TV station Sunday night, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party presidential candidate stressed that he will allow Gachagua to be jailed if found culpable.
Ruto was asked how he would deal with people who are closely associated with him and who have been implicated in corruption.
"Some have ongoing cases including your running mate. Are u going to let them out there to hang if that's what it comes to because I imagine these cases will proceed even after the election?" Ruto was asked.
To which he replied;
"If they are culpable my friend if they are culpable. That's why I am telling you the institutions we want to build, the freedom we want to give to the Judiciary, the freedom we want to give to the criminal justice system, and the financial independence we want to give to them is so that they can prosecute anybody including the President if they abuse the constitution or if they are corrupt. It's the only chance we have in Kenya."
The DP added that;
"We will get the institutions to deal with the matter of corruption and deal with everybody whether they are our relatives, whether they are our friends, whether he is my deputy, whether it's the President or whoever. Nobody should be safe from corruption."
Ruto says case politically motivated
Ruto was put to task to explain how he would allow Gachagua's case will proceed without him interfering with the prosecution given that he has stated on record that the case is politically motivated.
"They [the prosecution} will proceed if they have merit they will succeed. If they are political as I say they will fail," Ruto explained.
Gachagua faces a Ksh7.4 billion graft case. The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in January 2022 said that he wanted the case to be heard before September 2022.
