Azimio: Only enemy Ruto sees is Raila while economy teeters on brink of collapse
Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance has responded to president William Ruto over the remarks he made while touring parts of Nyanza on Saturday, March 25, 2023.
Speaking in Kisii county, Ruto bragged that he defeated Raila in the 2022 presidential election and stated that he will defeat him again in 2027.
"I defeated you. You do not want to face me. You are contemptuous and causing problems to innocent people like touts, matatu operators and ‘mama mbogas’," Ruto said.
Speaking in Migori county, Ruto asked Raila not to vie in the 2027 presidential election and instead support his re-election.
Azimio spokesman Makau Mutua issued a statement strongly condemning Ruto over the remarks he made in Kisii and Migori counties.
In the statement, Mutua claimed that Ruto has sustained unfounded attacks on Azimio and Raila because he knows he didn't win the 2022 presidential election.
"We take a very grave and dim view of the recent irresponsible, arrogant, and dangerous utterances by William Ruto. Since he captured the IEBC and the Supreme Court last year to impose himself on Kenyans, Mr. Ruto has repeatedly made craven and unfounded attacks on Azimio La Umoja and its leaders. Mr. Ruto knows he did not win the August 2022 elections.
"That is why he cannot let a day go by without another shrill rant directed at Azimio leader The Rt Hon Raila Odinga. While the country's economy teeters on the brink of collapse with a majority of Kenyans living on the edge of starvation, the only enemy Mr. Ruto sees is Mr. Odinga. Rather than respond intelligently to the plethora of burning issues raised by Azimio, Mr. Ruto has chosen to personalize the unprecedented crises gripping Kenya by demonizing Mr. Odinga. In this response, we lay bare Mr. Ruto's lies and warn the country that he is taking us down the road to fascism unless we stop him," a statement by Azimio spokesman reads in part.
Mutua added;
"The rants by Mr. Ruto challenging Mr. Odinga to a duel mano-a-mano are both juvenile and sophomoric. The struggle Mr. Odinga is leading in Azimio is focused on several key fundamental issues. The first concerns the economic plight of the people who are today living in squalor and penury. Many Kenyans today cannot even afford one decent meal day.
"In this day and age, how can the majority of our people subsist on less than $1 a day? Many are facing severe hunger and starvation. In the face such existential danger, the cost of living has continued to skyrocket. Food, fuel, and school fees are out of reach. Just today, we learned that taxes on power are going up by a whopping 63%. KPLC, the corrupt and inefficient monopoly, is killing Kenya's teetering economy. Amidst all of this, Mr. Ruto has removed all the subsidies that had cushioned the common people against bankruptcy and starvation."
Mutua further reiterated Azimio's demands that Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) servers must be opened for an independent forensic audit of the election.
"Mr. Ruto has refused to address key demands of the people. He has said that he cannot discuss the integrity of the last election. That is why he refused to open the IEBC servers for an independent forensic audit of the election. If Mr. Ruto believes that he won the election fair and square, what is he afraid of?
What does he fear the servers will reveal if they are subjected to scrutiny? We believe that only the truth will set Kenya free once it is revealed. On this matter, we cannot — and won't —compromise.
"Similarly, we reject Mr. Ruto's futile attempt to singlehandedly reconstitute the IEBC so that he can rig himself into office again in 2027. We demand the immediate stoppage of that illegitimate process and the reinstatement of the four IEBC commissioners who Mr. Ruto hounded out of office for refusing to go along with the rigged results."
The Azimio spokesman concluded by insisting that the planned demo was legal and lawful since police were notified in advance.
"Lastly, we wish to address Mr. Ruto's fascistic approach on the Azimio-led demonstrations by Kenyans. Mr. Ruto and his regime cronies, including those in law enforcement, falsely claim that our demonstrations are illegal and unlawful. This silly propaganda does not even pass the laugh test. Before last Monday, we gave adequate notice to the police of our planned demonstration. We have done so again for our forthcoming demonstration on Monday. We served those notices in the full glare of cameras."
