Avoid politicising Laikipia clashes, Ruto tells IG Mutyambai

Deputy President William Ruto has asked IG Hilary Mutyambai to decline political assignments and discharge his duty with diligence.  

Speaking when he met Kisii leaders in Karen on Wednesday, Ruto said the ongoing skirmishes in Laikipia has exposed serious lapses in the country’s security service.

“Police should be run impartially, the Inspector General should avoid the politicisation of security work in Kenya," Ruto said.

Ruto spoke a few hours after Tiaty MP William Kamket and Former Laikipia North MP Mathew Lempurkel were arrested over the Laikipia chaos.

Rift Valley Regional Commissioner George Natembeya said eight people have been killed in Laikipia bandit attacks in the past month.

Of the eight, three are police officers enforcing security in the region, while five are civilians.

"Police should strive to inspire confidence in Kenyans that they will be served equally, their political affiliations notwithstanding," Ruto said.

Ruto asked Mutyambai to demonstrate to Kenyans that he runs an independent office and that he is not swayed by politics.

The Deputy President further said opposition leaders do not have the moral ground to criticise the Government.

"Jubilee had a clear agenda under the Big Four development agenda that was replaced with the Building Bridges Initiative by the opposition," he said.

He said the opposition owes Kenyans an apology for derailing the government agenda. 

Legislators present were Millicent Omanga, Sylvanus Osoro, Goerge Theuri, John Kiarie, Nixon Korir, Naomi Waqo, Aisha Jumwa, Susan Kihika among others.

Kihika said Kenyans should shun tribal political parties and instead embrace national political parties with a clear agenda for them.

"We should not have different political parties based on tribes and regions,” she said. 

Jumwa said those in the Hustler Nation formation were coming together, irrespective of their tribes and region, to work towards the realisation of the revolutionary bottom-up economic model.

Osoro urged those seeking elective seats not to shy away from competing with fellow candidates in the UDA party for nomination tickets.

He dismissed the notion that leaders close to the Deputy President are assured of the nomination ticket.

Edited by CM