Ruto: I’ve no regrets over viral audio
Deputy President William Ruto yesterday said he did not regret pushing the President to stay on course and fight for his win after the Supreme Court nullified his victory in 2017.
Speaking in Meru county on his second day of his tour, Ruto said he had to ensure the President remained in power despite feeling uninspired to do so.
An audio emerged at the weekend with Ruto heard claiming he had to push the President to fight for his win, saying he had felt like slapping him for taking the matters lightly and for wanting to give up and go back to his rural home.
Responding to the leaked audio said to have been taken when he hosted a group of Kikuyu elders at his Karen residence last Friday, ruto said he did not regret doing what he did. “There is no way I could agree with Uhuru to give power to someone else. Yes, it is true I became tough on him and pushed him really hard because I could not imagine losing a government that we worked really hard for,” Ruto said.
He went on: “Nobody knows how hard I struggled to make him the President, so if I did something wrong to ensure he wins, then I have no apologies to make to the Azimio team.” Addressing rallies at Kithirune, Kaguma and Meru town, Ruto further said the President had not appreciated the efforts he put into his win, accusing him of supporting rival leader, Azimio flag bearer Raila Odinga in the August elections.
Stop fighting
“Even if you have denied me your vote, I am telling you my friend Uhuru Kenyatta to leave me alone. Stop fighting me because when you needed me I was fully there and made you the President. Those making noise do not know the mechanism we used to ensure you won,” Ruto stated.
“So now I am telling you I can make it without you,” he added.
As their fight with his boss continued to escalate, Ruto further accused Raila and his running mate Martha Karua of pretending to defend the President so they can win power through the backdoor.
“Where were you when we were campaigning for Uhuru in 2013 and 2017 and we made him the President? Why are you pretending to love him more than we do? You have no idea where we come from and what we have gone through to get the country where it is. So stop lecturing and teaching us on what to do,” the DP noted.
Rut also claimed that he would have opposed the Handshake, which he blames for the country’s economic challenges.
“ I wish I knew this ‘’Kitendawili’’ man would bring all these troubles between us and the crisis we are facing as a country today, I would not accept the Handshake to happen,” added the DP
His running mate, Rigathi Gachagua, accused the Head of State of abandoning the team that supported him when he was introduced to the political arena by late President Moi.
“Ruto including us, really stood with him when he wanted to step down for Musalia Mudavadi. We encouraged him when his heart withered after the political pressure got too high. We really fought and campaigned even when he was defeated by the late President Mwai Kibaki,” said Rigathi, a former Personal Assistant to Uhuru.
Tharaka Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki confirmed that he was the one who destroyed the agreement written secretly to hand the candidature to Mudavadi ahead of the 2013 polls.
Kindiki also said Raila is unfit to run the country and told the Azimio leaders off, accusing them of trying to reap where they did not sow.
