• It was a blow after blow for DP Ruto as speaker after speaker disparaged him.
• He revisited his warnings to the DP and his camp over early politics saying the team refused to heed.
Image: PPS
The launch of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) programme in Mombasa turned political as leaders among them President Uhuru Kenyatta attacked Deputy President William Ruto.
It was a blow after blow for DP Ruto as speaker after speaker disparaged him accusing him of sabotaging Uhuru's administration.
Uhuru, who pitched a tent in Mombasa just a day after Ruto’s coastal tour, also took to the podium and took a swipe at his deputy for non-stop politicking.
He dismissed reports that ODM leader Raila Odinga is his project even as he maintained that he has a right to choose whoever he will vote for.
"He is not my project as it is being said, but I will cast my vote to the person that I trust will bring change to Kenya,” he said.
He revisited his warnings to the DP and his camp over early politics saying the team refused to heed.
“Niliwambia hii mambo ya kutanga tanga, wakasema niwache wao watange tange. I let them be, what do they want me to say now?” posed the President.
Loosely translated, "I had warned him about crisscrossing the country for early campaigns but they said they won't stop..”
Uhuru added that he does not have an issue with his deputy running for the presidency.
“I do not have an issue with anyone’s ambition. I had only told them that there is time for everything. Time for politics and time to do the work. They chose politics from morning to evening,” Uhuru said.
The head of state said this year he will not shy away from politics.
“Time for politics has come and you are going to hear from us. I had told you before that this is a marathon, but they did not listen,” added President Uhuru.
The head of state also took time to defend his performance saying that for the past few years he has been able to achieve so many things.
“Jubilee has been working. I won’t tire of showing Kenyans what we have been doing. We have constructed so many road projects in the country,” he said.
Central Organisation of Trade Union (Cotu) Secretary-General Francis Atwoli repeated his signature statement, "that Ruto will never be president”.
“There is nothing called UDA and I want to tell those close to Ruto that they should make sure he does not commit suicide after the August 9 general election,” said Atwoli.
He said those asking President Uhuru not to campaign for his successor, should understand that the 2002 voting dynamics are different from 2022.
The Ruto camp on Saturday asked President Uhuru to learn from the 2002 election, in which former late President Daniel Moi tried unsuccessfully to push him as his successor.
“The dynamics of 2002 are different from the current dynamics. President Uhuru led the central region the same way led them during BBI campaigns,” said Atwoli.
Mombasa governor Hassan Joho led the section of Coast leadership to fault Ruto for the contentious issue of the transfer of port services to Nairobi and Naivasha.
The national government had issued directives that all Nairobi-bound and cargo on transit must be railed to Nairobi via the SGR.
The cargo should also be cleared from either Naivasha or Nairobi.
“On Saturday, they made me their agenda (during Ruto’s rally at Tononoka). However, he called me an academic dwarf when I was agitating for these issues. They are now telling Mombasa residents that they will revert port services to Mombasa. They are playing with your emotions,” Joho said.
He said the issue of SGR has already been resolved as importers are free to either use the SGR or the trucks to Nairobi.
Edited by B. Marita