I'm not interested in votes, only promotion of Kenyans' hustles - Ruto

Deputy President William Ruto has continued his salvo against his rival ODM leader Raila Odinga over donation and handouts ahead of 2022 polls.

Raila, the presumed main Ruto 2022 opponent, has accused the DP of perpetuating politics of bribery and handouts disguised as donations and empowerment projects.

The DP has rolled out a multibillion-shilling kitty to empower the youth, women and the vulnerable, breaking away from the formal government structures as he ramps up his 2022 campaigns.

But speaking at his Karen Home in Nairobi on Tuesday, Ruto said that he is not looking for votes ahead of the elections which will likely see the two pit against each other should Raila once again throw his hat into the ring.

"...sina haja na kura, niko na haja ya kuinua hustle ya waKenya kama naibu wa rais..hiyo ingine itakuja na bahati ya Mungu...." he said.

This loosely translates to (I am not interested in looking for votes, my interest is to promote Kenyans' hustles as the DP...the rest will come as a chance  from God.)

Ruto told off his critics urging them to stop complaining about what he was doing out of goodwill.

"...wale mnasikia wanalalamika na kukasirika ati kwa sababu mtu amepewa mkokoteni, wheel barrow, wanalalamika kwa sababu hawataki waKenya watoke umasikinini.." he said.

Translates to: (Those complaining and feeling bitter about my donations, are complaining because they do not want Kenyans to get out of poverty)

The Deputy President said their plan as the Hustler nation is to pull everybody out of poverty.

 "A journey of 1,000 km starts with the first steps.. and I promise you that we will reach our destination," he said.

Ruto claimed that Raila only wanted the youths who can throw stones and join him in demonstrations.

"We are giving you notice when you start looking for people to throw stones and demonstrate...look for your kids, these hustlers are busy, they don't have time.. next time when they come for demonstrations tell them mko kazi," he said.

"I am telling our friends.. it will not be business as usual, we will not have the same conversation about power, tribes and positions .. we will have a conversation about ordinary people and jobs .."

Ruto has lately adopted the approach of offering youth light equipment like car wash machines, sewing machines, tanks, motorcycles and wheelbarrows in a charm offensive across the country.

With what he has called an unstoppable political movement, the DP is deliberately shaping the 2022 presidential duel as a battle of the poor against the rich.

He has spiritedly opposed the Building Bridges Initiative propelled by Uhuru and Raila, saying it is aimed at creating a few jobs for the political elite at the expense of jobless Kenyans.