Ruto to Raila: I disagree with your understanding of hustlers

Deputy President Willam Ruto [DPPS/Susan Ndorio, Standard]

Deputy President William Ruto on Wednesday differed with ODM leader Raila Odinga over his understanding of hustlers.

Following a press statement by Odinga to legislators to drop attempts to criminalise Ruto’s ‘hustlers versus dynasties’ narrative, the DP swiftly responded by saying he agrees with the former Prime Minister’s sentiments on freedom of speech but not his understanding of the ideology.

Taking to Twitter, the DP reiterated that he will tirelessly work to ensure the narrative is positively understood.

“While agreeing fully with your defence of freedom of speech and thought as guaranteed by the constitution, we respectfully disagree with your very wrong understanding of hustlers but will equally defend your thoughts.

“We will work tirelessly to get hustlers narrative positively understood,” tweeted Ruto.

In his letter, Odinga said the ‘hustlers vs dynasties’ narrative is dangerous and likened it to Adolf Hitler’s National Socialism, Nazism, which ruled Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945.

ODM leader Raila Odinga [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

“Nazism profiled German society on the lines of race, social classes and tribe. It had the Aryan race, which it considered the master race and whose survival Hitler pegged on the elimination of Jews, Romanis or Gypsies, the Indo-Aryan, the Slavs and the ‘inferior sub-humans’ who were seen to be the problem in Germany.

“I fear the ‘hustlers vs dynasties’ narrative will have the same deadly consequences for Kenya as Nazism did for Germany,” wrote Odinga.

He appealed to MPs to drop any attempts to legislate against it saying there should be freedom of speech and association.

“We should be able to allow the Deputy President and his team to continue with their chosen slogan without any inhibitions.

“Those of us who see its dangers should continue educating our people against falling for it. I have faith that Kenyans will see through this divisive and potentially deadly rhetoric and its attacks on fellow Kenyans, and reject it in the end,” stated Odinga.