• Atwoli was referring to Deputy President William Ruto and ODM party leader Raila Odinga running for the presidency in 2022.
• Atwoli said the Western people are better off than the Central people regardless of who takes over.
Image: FILE
The people from the ‘mountain’ must ask themselves in whose hands they will be safe, Cotu Secretary-General Francis Atwoli has said.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Wednesday, Atwoli said this is a gamble that the Central people must grapple with ahead of 2022.
Atwoli was referring to Deputy President William Ruto and ODM party leader Raila Odinga running for the presidency in 2022.
The race has been seen as a two-horse race even though Raila has not yet declared that he will be on the ballot in the 2022 August election.
The Cotu Secretary-General gave an example of how Ruto did not bring Cyrus Jirongo into government even after working together in 1992.
“Ruto tells Jirongo and Mudavadi immediately he won that you people did not plan yourselves. Instead of bringing in Jirongo, he says wewe hukujipanga. What do you think God is thinking of this person if he takes over?” he posed.
“And you people in Central province you must ask yourself in whose hands will you be safe. Don’t come to me I don’t have a kiosk.”
Atwoli said the Western people are better off than the Central people regardless of who takes over.
“We in Western are used to salaries and being cooks and watchmen but you Central people in whose hands will you be safe?” He posed.
“That's the question. Not the question of bottom-up or hustlers. If elections were held today and the television says it's Ruto in whose hands will you be safe?”
Raila has been touring the Mt Kenya region to drum up support for his 2022 presidential bid. He has dismissed claims by Ruto allies that the region is a stronghold of the DP.
He said he does not need permission from anyone to "climb the mountain".
UDA OPPOSITION
Atwoli further said UDA is a political party that will serve in the opposition adding that Ruto is not going to win the election.
“Take it from me. I am a just man of God. He will not win elections. If you are to win and you are working with someone who is ahead of you, support this person until the end,” he said.
Atwoli said you don’t prepare hurdles for this person for you to win.
“You can get it if you are humble and avoid chest-thumping. Today he addressed us as if he is in the government. And when you are in another meeting you criticise the same person who is supposed to bless you,” he said.
Ruto made an about-turn over President Uhuru Kenyatta's performance in his second term and showered the Head of State with praises during the 58th Mashujaa Day celebrations in Kirinyaga.
Ruto said the country has seen what he termed "unprecedented transformation" in the last nine years under the leadership of Uhuru.
Ruto recently said Uhuru has wasted four years of his second term because of his handshake with ODM leader Raila Odinga. He has argued that the government lost its way when it brought onboard opposition leaders.
Ruto has been criticising Uhuru's administration’s and even termed the push for constitutional amendments as the biggest fraud that ever happened in Kenya.
The duo’s relationship has broken down in the past four years over differences related to Uhuru's succession.
But on Wednesday, the Deputy President said Uhuru's legacy will be unparalleled after he leaves office next year.
“Your place in the history of Kenya is not only secure but also prominent,” Ruto said.
Edited by D Tarus