Ruto defends US envoy Meg Whitman over Raila's onslaught

President William Ruto in the company of US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman in State House Nairobi. [PSC]

President William Ruto has defended US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman following remarks made by Azimio Leader Raila Odinga on Thursday.

While addressing the 8th Devolution Conference in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County yesterday, Odinga called out Whitman over remarks she had made a day earlier on Kenya's 2022 General Election.

He told the US ambassador to keep off the affairs of the country.

"Tell the rogue ambassador Kenya is not the United States. Kenya is not a colony of the United States. Keep your mouth while you are here. Otherwise, we will call for your recall back to your country," said Odinga.

In a rebuttal on Friday, August 18, President Ruto regretted that Odinga's remarks were 'reckless' and lacked respect for the US envoy.

"It would be very ungrateful of us to vilify the people who are creating opportunities for us. We have huge investments from the American government, Germany, and other countries. We must know what our interests are and secure them...We must not be petty and look at things from a personal level," said Ruto.

The president further called on politicians to exercise decorum and respect when addressing guests, cautioning them against destroying ties that Kenya enjoys with other countries.

"The American ambassador said the last election was the freest and fairest in the history of Kenya, which is a statement of fact. She also said Kenya is open for business which is a statement of fact. Let us have some decorum and respect ourselves as we demand respect from others," he said.