• Sifuna says no amount of anger will change the facts
• Ruto said Raila is the lord of poverty
Image: FILE
ODM has hit back at Deputy President William Ruto following his remarks referring to its party leader, Raila Odinga, as the 'lord of poverty'.
ODM secretary general Edwin Sifuna on Monday said no amount of anger from the DP would change the facts that graft has led to the loss of public funds through scandals such as the Arror and Kimwarer saga.
“No amount of anger will change the facts. And while he talks about the Northern Collector Tunnel, we wish to remind the DP that the Northern Collector Tunnel at least took off. The ones that were slated for his own Rift Valley people never saw the light of day," Sifuna said.
"The DP has become a joke in the eyes of right thinking Kenyans and he may also want to remember that as DP, he cannot make harambees the basis for development.”
Ruto, in a veiled attack on Raila, had earlier on in the day said the ODM leader wants Kenyans to remain poor so they depend on him.
"It is because you are the lord of poverty and you want poverty in our country. You are opposed to any development in this country because you want people to be poor so they continue to support you and I'm telling you we will work night and day to eliminate poverty in this country so that your kingdom has no place in Kenya and the lord of poverty will have no space in this nation."
Sifuna said Ruto was attempting to divert attention from the fake assassination letter against him after it was reported that two aides from his office were allegedly behind the document.
"We are alive to the massive struggle by the deputy president in the past few days to bury the news of his fake assassination plot and its flat failure to generate the sympathy he desperately needed and hoped for,” he said.
Sifuna said Ruto was trying to intimidate CSs perceived to be loyal to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“We are wondering which one was his bigger desire, between seeking sympathy with a non-existent assassination plot and attempting to get CSs out. Today, Ruto was ranting that there never was any corruption with procurement and payments on SGR, NYS or questions on Eurobond,” he said.
“Let him break down to the people how Eurobond was spent, the cost of SGR and the debt attached to it, how the dams money was lost and While at it, he may want to face the people and answer questions about his fake assassination plot."
Sifuna said, "For a man who spends so much time hanging around churches, we are amazed he hasn't found someone competent enough to pray for him to arrest his fast-unravelling political career."