Why allies and critics monitor Ruto’s every step and word

Fear of a vindictive and authoritarian presidency is fuelling the political onslaught against Deputy President William Ruto’s quest to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Dr Ruto’s critics have painted him as an overambitious politician obsessed with his presidential bid, overly abrasive and likely to use his powers to crash his opponents should he become president.

Questions about the source of his immense wealth also remain an obstacle to the self-styled hustler, who is a front runner in the race to State House in 2022.

But his allies believe the ongoing onslaught, including his being labelled corrupt, is part of political machinations by powerful forces to slow down his popularity.

They claim the perceived ganging up by politicians and alleged use of State machinery against the DP was a sign that he was a credible competitor in the race to succeed Mr Kenyatta.

“Instead of concentrating on fighting Ruto, why don’t you spend time marketing your candidate? You have lots of them already,” said Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen.

Political witch-hunt

Yesterday, Kieni MP Kanini Kega accused Ruto allies of trying to whip up the public’s emotions with narratives of a political witch-hunt.

Mr Kega, who was responding to a fake impeachment motion against Ruto allegedly sponsored by him, said the DP’s allies were behind the propaganda.

“Claims that there is a motion to impeach Ruto is farfetched. We are currently focused on supporting the president to achieve his Big Four Agenda. Impeaching Ruto is not part of that agenda,” Kega told a press conference, where he was accompanied by MPs Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo) and Joshua Kutuny (Cherangany).

“This propaganda is aimed at whipping up political emotions,” he added, while claiming that a Ruto ally was behind the rumour.

National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi and Senate Whip Mutula Kilonzo Jnr said the ongoing attack on the DP was because of his abrasiveness and attempts to railroad others.

The two said the narrative by Ruto that the fight against corruption and the push to unite the country through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) targets him has painted him as a selfish leader only concerned with his bid to become president.

“He has attracted a lot of attention. His strategy of frontal attack is the cause of his woes,” said Mr Kilonzo.

Mr Mbadi, who is also the ODM chairman, added: “It is his style of leadership that exposes him to that kind of attack. He is always opposed to anything without offering alternatives. The only thing he talks about is his bid for the presidency.

“He has made his presidential ambition a crisis for the country. When people talk about the fight against corruption, he opposes it. When people talk about the handshake and BBI, he opposes it; he views every initiative as being intended to block his bid.”

Mbadi said Ruto had demonstrated that he could abuse his position to ridicule others.

“He is demonstrating some character that baffles me; he is arrogant. The DP is part of the presidency and should help unite the nation. The kinds of words he uses against his opponents depict his character in a bad way. It is Kenyans who should be celebrating his possible downfall,” said Mbadi.

Graft claims

Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua and Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu said claims of corruption around the DP cast doubt on how he would govern if he became president.

The two said a failure by Ruto to explain how he acquired his wealth makes him appear unaccountable.

“I have in the past challenged the DP to explain the source of the cash dishes out during harambees, as well as all the property associated with him,” said Dr Mutua.

Mr Wambugu revisited allegations around Weston Hotel, which is associated with the DP, and Adrian Muteshi’s land that Ruto was ordered to vacate by the court as some of the sticky issues dogging the former Eldoret MP.

“There is nothing that the DP is being accused of that has no basis. He has been associated with property that was acquired irregularly, like Weston Hotel,” said Wambugu.

“He can’t say it is a political witch-hunt. We have had so many vice presidents who never made it. So he can’t say he is being attacked because he is a front runner.”

Nominated MP Godfrey Osotsi described the DP as a “scornful leader”, who is out to humiliate his political opponents using “unkind words”.

Mr Osotsi said Ruto has made it fashionable to make disparaging remarks against ODM leader Raila Odinga, Amani National Congress leader Musalia Mudavadi, among other political leaders.

“The DP has mocked key leaders across the country and made highly personalised and disparaging remarks against them,” Osotsi said.

National Assembly Minority Whip Junet Mohamed and Lugari MP Ayub Savula described the DP as “over ambitious and always trying to outshine his boss”.

Mr Mohamed said the DP had made it appear like he had to be president.

“He is against everything; he is against the unity of the country. For him, everything is about 2022. It is like the world is coming to an end,” said the Suna East MP.

Mr Savula said the DP also tried to outshine Mr Odinga when he was in the Orange party.

“In politics you don’t shine more than the boss. You cannot go far if you go against your seniors. They will tag you with all sorts of vices. He has been made to appear as the most corrupt politician, which might not be true but perception is everything in politics,” said Savula.

“As much as the DP has been applauded for uniting communities in Rift Valley by rallying his troops behind Uhuru in the past two elections, his decision to undermine his boss, alleged graft and being overambitious make him most feared and revered in equal measures,” said Nakuru town West MP Samuel Arama.

However, Gatanga MP Joseph Ngugi dismissed claims that Ruto was feared. He claimed the DP has ceased being a crowd puller after he parted ways with the president.

“Feared by who? He is a lone ranger. Those purporting to support him have no backing in the Senate and the National Assembly,” said Mr Ngugi.

Mathioya MP Peter Kimari said Ruto had lost touch with voters due to his attitude towards Uhuru.

Nyando MP Jared Okello claimed the DP is vengeful, a trait that is not good for a politician interested in occupying a high position in government.

‘’When Jubilee came into power, Ruto retreated to political humiliation of the highest order. He fought back Raila with vengeance, even calling him a sorcerer,” he said.

“What would happen to ordinary mortals if he became the president with such emotional intelligence? Such a person shouldn’t occupy State House. He could turn into a dictator.’’

Political propaganda

Kabondo Kasipul MP Eve Obara said a leader should be humble. Okello further claimed Ruto’s ambition to succeed Uhuru has been so intense that even when the President warned him against early succession politics, he defied.

“To publicly oppose his party boss is an affirmation of open defiance to the king,’’ asserted Ms Okello.

“His interest is power,” said Alego Usonga MP Samwel Atandi, adding that they would not allow Ruto to scuttle their plans to build alliances through the handshake.

But Ruto allies dismissed allegations against him as mere political hurdles being erected on his path to the top seat.

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei said the rising popularity of the DP has rattled some politicians who are now out to fight him using propaganda.

He said the DP enjoys overwhelming support across the country and will win the presidency.

“All these attacks are frivolous. They are peddled for political expediency because they know Ruto has unwavering support across the country,” said Cherargei.

“I can assure you that in 2022, he will succeed President Kenyatta,” he added.

Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa said the ongoing onslaught was a sign of fear by politicians planning to run against the DP.

“ODM is attacking the DP because they are our competitors in the next poll. The so-called system is also a group of people who don’t want a Ruto presidency,” he said.

“The same people accusing Ruto of corruption were also accusing Uhuru of corruption during the last poll. What has now changed?”

Political analysts reckon the sustained attacks were signs that Ruto is a formidable force in the 2022 General Election.

Political analysts Hermon Manyora and Edward Kisiangani said the attacks were the strongest indication yet that the DP is a threat to many presidential hopefuls.

“He is standing on the way of what Uhuru and Raila want to achieve,” said Mr Manyora. “If he was a weak person, they would have just done one thing to do away with him, but you can see what is happening. They are trying to scare those around him.”

Mr Kisiangani said claims of Ruto being a vindictive leader were unfounded and being used to push political propaganda against him.

“The attack on Ruto tells you he is a threat. They know his power, they know he has support. He is the most realistic candidate. His opponents feel that if they remove him from the scene, they stand a better chance,” said Kisiangani.

“This country is governed by the rule of law and there is no sign that he is vindictive. If you rule a country through vengeance you can’t go far. There is no evidence he will be vindictive.”

MPs Mark Lomunokol (Kacheliba), Vincent Tuwei (Mosop), Marwa Maisori (Kuria East) and Mwambu Mabonga (Buluma) defended the DP against the barrage of criticism against his style of leadership.

Hustler nation

“He is being fought because he commands the hustler nation and most of his supporters are hustlers. When you mention Ruto, no one knows his father or his background. Those in the system know he is bright and he cannot be controlled by anyone,” said Mr Lomunokol.

Mr Maisori told Ruto not to fear even as his political enemies try to purge his allies from top positions in Parliament.

“If you have no critics, you will likely have no success. So don’t fear criticism but take it in stride and strive to be your own best and meet your own standard of excellence,’’ he said.

Mr Mabonga claimed they were not happy with the current tiff in Jubilee: “What is the rationale of pushing for a government of national unity when we are trying to insult others?”

The lawmaker asked politicians to reach out to one another and reconcile their differences for the common good of Kenyans.

“If erstwhile political enemies Uhuru and Raila managed to reconcile their differences, what would prevent the deputy president, too, from reaching out to his perceived political enemies?” Mabonga asked

[Additional reporting by Kepher Otieno, Wainana Wa Ndungu, Steven Mkawale and Patrick Kibet]