• Violent encounters preceded the outfit’s campaign rally mid-morning ahead of Ruto's arrival.
• Youths allied to Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza and Raila's Azimio battled outside for hours, leaving at least five people injured.
Image: FILE
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino now claims Sunday's chaotic scenes at Jacaranda Grounds were stage-managed by the Kenya Kwanza brigade.
Violent encounters preceded the outfit’s campaign rally mid-morning ahead of the arrival of its presidential candidate Deputy President William Ruto at the venue in Embakasi East.
Youths allied to Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza and ODM leader Raila's Azimio battled outside for hours, leaving at least five people injured including the area UDA candidate Francis Mureithi.
Ruto blamed the chaos on Raila, alleging that he hired the stone-throwing youths to orchestrate the violence in a bid to block the Kenya Kwanza rally at the grounds.
Owino, the area MP, also found himself at the centre of the blame game after he claimed he had booked the same venue.
But on Monday, Owino posted on his Twitter handle two photos, one showing youth throwing stones at Ruto’s convoy while the second showing the same supporters guarding Ruto’s convoy.
“Look at these photos keenly. The guys in the same uniform stoned Ruto’s car and at the same time provided security at the same rally. Wacha kutubeba mafala after stage managing your own attack,” Owino said.
“Wacha kutubeba mafala’ is a Swahili-Sheng phrase for “stop fooling us”.
Look at these photos keenly.The guys in same uniform stoning Ruto’s car and at the same time providing security at the same rally.Wacha kutubeba mafala after stage managing your own attack. pic.twitter.com/uwUYPqJhcY
— Babu Owino (@HEBabuOwino) June 20, 2022
On Sunday evening, hours after the Jacaranda rally, Ruto took to social media to attack Raila calling the ODM leader “father and lord of violence.”
The tweet was preceded by his remarks at the rally that no amount of stones or intimidation would stop the change that was imminent in the country after the August 9 general election.
"All these intimidation you are seeing is because they want to force us but no amount of bullets, no amount of intimidation, no amount of stones, no amount of threats will stop this nation from changing."
"On the night of August, we are going to change this nation for the better," he added.
Raila responded in kind to Ruto’s "father of violence" tweet.
The ODM leader said Ruto was seeking sympathy votes by blaming everyone over every misfortune that befalls him.
"Mr Six months, for how long will you blame everyone for everything that befalls you? It’s not okay to be rudderless, clueless and plan-less. This country is slowly overcoming fraudsters and shortcuts that define your politics," Raila said.
"Maliza uende. There is no room for sympathy votes," he added.
It appeared like the duel was over, but Ruto wasn’t done yet.
On Monday, he repeated his allegations in a tweet.
“Mr Kitendawili, so much for being clueless, rudderless, and planless about the challenges of our nation and the solutions thereof.
“The big question Kenyans are asking you, which you have refused to answer, is when are you going to stop using violence as your tool for seeking power?”