Spare me your sword, Ruto begs Uhuru

Deputy President William Ruto on Friday publicly pleaded with his boss Uhuru Kenyatta to step back and allow him to face ODM boss Raila Odinga. 

Apprehensive of the President’s power, the DP begged Uhuru to avoid unleashing his sword on him even though their friendship had crossed the Rubicon.

Speaking in Uhuru’s Gatundu backyard, Ruto toned down his attacks on his boss saying he is the most suited to complete the President’s legacy projects if elected.

“I have a few things I want to send you to my friend President Uhuru Kenyatta, aren't you his neighbours? Now tell him that William Ruto passed through here and greeted him, haven’t you heard that my friend Uhuru Kenyatta is supporting Kitendawili (Raila Odinga)?”he posed. 

He went on, “Please tell him (Uhuru) that Ruto has said that even if he has decided to help the Kitendawili man (Raila), I plead with him humbly, that he should not unleash the same sword we used together on him (Raila) to cut my feet.” 

This is the first time that Ruto was openly pleading with President Kenyatta not to go for the jugular after an acrimonious split.

The two have however, been rocked in bitter verbal exchanges since Uhuru said Ruto is not suitable to lead the country, for now.

The DP’s allies had taunted Uhuru as lame duck and unable to influence his succession but Ruto's latest pleas have exposed the DP's jitters.

While campaigning outside Central, Ruto has been claiming he is not threatened by the system or the deep state, saying that he has the millions of Kenyans and God behind him to defeat Raila. 

However, the President’s assertive move to take control of his own succession with Raila as his preferred successor, has rattled the DP  who now looks anxious.

On Friday, Ruto reminded the President that he should not go follow the path they used to humble Raila in 2013 and 2017 polls.

“Tell him (Uhuru) that the Ruto you are planning against is the same man you were prayed for together here in Gatundu, and even mama Ngina prayed for us, remind him that it is the same Ruto that you prayed with, please don’t hurt him,” Ruto said. 

He went on, “Also tell him that it is the same Ruto when there was nobody who wanted to stand with you, stood with you, please don’t hurt him, will you deliver the message to him?” 

Ruto’s tone at Mutomo, a stone-throw-away from Uhuru’s Ichaweri home, was uncharacteristically calm unlike in his previous tirades. 

“Tell him that I have asked him that even if he doesn’t want to help me, let him leave this Mzee ya Kitendawili for me, I am ready to deal with him on my own, let him step aside and let Mzee Kitendawili face me, I will defeat him," he said. 

The DP used his visit to the President turf to reassure the region that the many projects that the Jubilee administration started will be completed under his leadership if elected President. 

“This time let us unite and form government to finish the job president Uhuru would have not completed as he goes for retirement, the DP said. 

Ironically, Ruto has previously attacked President Kenyatta’s score card claiming that the Jubilee administration failed in the second term following the March 2018 handshake with Raila. 

On Friday, Ruto lauded Uhuru’s legacy saying the President would have achieved a lot more were it not for Raila’s disruption of the Jubilee’s plans including the Big 4. 

“When we were being hounded to the ICC, who came here to pray with Uhuru Kenyatta? Did Kitendawili (Raila) come here to pray with Uhuru?” Ruto posed. 

Analysts have said that Ruto desperately needs to score over 80 per cent in Mt Kenya and replicate Jubilee's 2013 and 2017 performance to win the presidency.

However, while he has stranglehold on Mt Kenya, Raila's popularity has been on an upward trajectory. A recent opinion poll put Ruto at 57 per cent against Raila's 28 per cent.

The DP was on Friday accompanied by his Kenya Kwanza co-principals Moses Wetang'ula and Musalia Mudavadi, Moses Kuria and a host of United Democratic Alliance MPs.  

During the rallies across Gatundu South and North constituencies, the issue of land displacement among the President’s neighbours featured prominently. 

Although leaders who accompanied Ruto accused the Kenyatta family of forcibly evicting residents to expand the proposed Mama Ngina University, Ruto assured them of government protection. 

“I want to assure you the people of Mutomo that nobody will lose land, the government you elected led by President Uhuru Kenyatta abides by the rule of law, nobody will be evicted as long as they have land ownership documents,” Ruto said. 

Earlier, UDA politicians from Central Kenya had claimed that people owning plots around the university are being pushed away with Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wa leading the offensive. 

“Every Kenyan has a right to own land, the university should unite the people and not to separate the living from the dead. The university should be built on land owned by the billionaires and not the small pieces owned by hustlers,” he said. 

Some residents who spoke said most of the freedom fighters were buried on the land around the university and relocating them would separate them from their ancestors. 

“We are being chased away so that we can surrender our land yet our forefathers came from detention and found that their land had been grabbed and only assigned a quarter portions,” said unidentified woman. 

Kuria who accompanied Ruto said although the President had previously served as area MP, it was him who has improved the lives of Gatundu South residents.

"It is me who has brought you water and electricity, this things were not here at Mutomo before 2015," Kuria said.

The DP is on Saturday expected to tour Murang'a county as he seeks to sustain his grip on Mt Kenya ahead of the polls.