Ruto allies: Fake opinion polls will not sway us

Deputy President William Ruto when he addressed residents of Murang'a County on November 21, 2021. [DPPS, Standard]

Legislators allied to Deputy President William Ruto have said Kenyans will not be swayed by those pushing for the ODM leader Raila Odinga's presidency.

They said "State-sponsored opinion polls" meant to falsely portray Raila as a formidable candidate will not have a bearing on next year’s elections.

The MPs said Raila’s financiers will be in for a rude shock as Kenyans will make independent choices, devoid of external pressure.

Garissa Township MP Aden Duale appealed to President Uhuru Kenyatta not to impose Raila on Kenyans, saying his traits were well known to the people. 

"We have a lot of respect for President Kenyatta, however, we will not allow him to push us to back Raila. We know Raila and even his history," Duale said. 

Ruto and his brigade visited Murang'a again, after visiting the county barely two weeks ago, in a bid to counter Raila's forays in the region.

The DP spent his day traversing various parts of Maragua after attending a service at PCEA Saba Saba town.

The church service was attended by area MP Mary Waithera.

Development projects

Waithera said she will continue working with and listening to the people of Maragua ahead of next year's General Election.

"My responsibility is to listen to and walk with the people of Maragùa who elected me, especially because I will be coming back next year," she said. 

During the stopovers, Ruto was cautious not to attack his boss, President Kenyatta, and instead rode on development projects initiated by the Jubilee administration, especially the expansive road projects.

“Our development scorecard speaks volumes, we have implemented the promises that we made to you together with the president while we were asking for votes. We have constructed over 650km of roads in the last nine years. We have connected over 160,000 households to electricity in this county and that is what my government will ensure continuity," he said.

Leaders accompanying Ruto said the political parties in the region had been formed along tribal lines.

Duale urged Governor Mwangi Wa Iria to fold his Usawa Kwa Wote party and join United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

“We used to support Raila, but we broke ranks with him. We respect the president, but we shall not agree to be auctioned to Raila. Let us abandon tribal parties. We urge Wa Iria to fold his tribal party and join UDA,” he said.

Ruto's allies also hit out at the pollsters that showed Ruto’s popularity was declining while Raila’s was rising.

“Ignore the opinion polls, they are fake and unscientific. We know the financiers and owners must understand that the people of Kenya have decided that they will vote for Ruto in next year’s presidential election,” Duale said.

Ruto and his allies visited Saba Saba, Kaharati, Heho and Kambi towns, spreading their bottom-up economic model, and in a bid to convince residents why Raila is not good for them.