Ruto tells off critics over Uhuru meeting
Mercy Mwai and DPPS@PeopleDailyKe
Deputy President William Ruto yesterday told off critics who accused him of skipping Monday’s National Covid-19 Conference.
Speaking at his Karen residence where he held a meeting with a delegation of women in business from Nairobi County, Ruto dismissed persons poking holes in his work as busy-bodies.
Ruto, who has in the recent past been hosting delegations at the Karen home, was categorical that President Uhuru Kenyattta, who is his boss has never complained to him that he has not done his job as required in law.
He said every work and responsibilities given to him by the President had been discharged with distinction.
Prefect
“Yesterday I heard some people making noise saying I have not done my job as the DP.
I want to tell them that there is no job that the President has given me, that I have not done; every job, every directive that the President has assigned me, he can confirm there is no assignment that I have not done with distinction,” he said without directly referring to his absence from the national Covid-19 Conference that was attended by Opposition leaders Raila Odinga and Musalia Mudavadi as well as Chief Justice David Maraga and a host of Cabinet Secretaries.
Ruto told his critics to concentrate on their jobs as given to them by the electorate and stop supervising and prefecting him.
“So these other people pretending to be prefects saying ooh the DP has not done this or that and you have gone ahead and appointed yourself to be the prefect of the DP, yet you have your job that you were elected to do, please go and do your job, you work is not to be my prefect,” he said.
“I know the work I have been given constitutionally, President Uhuru has not complained that there is work he gave me that I did not do, so who are you to complain,?” he added.
Sabotage
His sentiments came a day after critics accused him of undermining the President by snubbing the event.
Jubilee Party vice-chairman David Murathe on Tuesday trashed Ruto’s decision to skip the function saying Ruto currently “has no job,” adding that his duties have since been taken over by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.
Murathe, who was speaking in Nyeri, said Ruto’s sole responsibility was to deputise the President, which renders him jobless in the Head of State’s presence.
Apart from Murathe, a host of other MPs led by Kieni MP Kanini Kega have also attacked Ruto and accused him of sabotage.
They said the DP had no reason to abscond a State function, yet he has been enjoying resources allocated to him by the State.
During yesterday’s meeting, Ruto was accompanied by Senators Millicent Omanga (Nominated), Susan Kihika (Nakuru), MPs Nixon Korir (Lang’ata), John Kiarie (Dagoretti South), Kimani Ngunjiri (Bahati), Benjamin Gathiru (Embakasi Central), James Gakuya (Embakasi North) and George Theuri (Embakasi West).
Others were Johana Ng’eno (Emurua Dikirr), Justus Murunga (Matungu) John Muchiri (Manyatta), Nimrod Mbai (Kitui East), Dan Wanyama (Webuye West) and former Starehe MP Margaret Wanjiru.
Ruto noted that the government would continue supporting women in starting their own businesses as part of the grand plan to empower them.
This, he noted, would be realised through the creation of safe spaces for women, broadening their access to credit and markets opportunities, and boosting their participation in decision at all levels.
“This is how we would exploit women’s unlimited potential,” he added.
Kihika said it was time Parliament was dissolved as advised by the Chief Justice.
“Let us go back to the polls so that we can have more women in leadership. More women in power means faster transformation of our country,” she said.
