Hours after Deputy President William Ruto blamed ODM leader Raila Odinga for the disruption of his rally at Jacaranda Ground on Sunday by rowdy youths, Raila dismissed the allegations.
However, the DP did not stop and instead went on addressing the crowd.
In his address, the DP accused Raila of having a penchant for hiring youths to cause violence at his meetings.
Raila’s secretariat Dennis Onyango said in a statement on Sunday evening that:
“It is not beyond Ruto to sponsor the disruption of his own rally...,” part of the statement reads.
Onyango also claimed that Ruto paid people to attend his rally.
“It also ought to be understood that the youths were being paid to attend the Jacaranda rally today. Either Ruto ran out of money or the people he trusted with the money did not pay all the youths.”
During the rally, the DP said the ODM leader is known for planning violence adding that it is time he should stop misusing the youths.
"Shame on you bwana kitendawili for hiring youths to come and stone people here. You won't intimidate us with violence," Ruto said.
“You planned violence in Kondele, you have come here again in Embakasi to mobilise youths to stone us. We will not allow you to instill fear in the people of Kenya by using violence".
Answering the DP, Raila’s office said that other than the use of money to buy support, violence is Ruto’s main tool for political ascendance.
“Violence has been part and parcel of Ruto’s brand of politics right from the time he introduced himself to Kenyans through the YK92, through 1997 to 2008.”
The police had to use teargas to disperse the rowdy youths, who were caught on camera chanting ‘natutaki pesa, tunataka Baba, hatutaki pesa, tunataki Babu Owino.
