Deputy President William Ruto has launched a fresh onslaught against ODM leader Raila Odinga over his defence of president Uhuru Kenyatta.
The attack comes in the backdrop of the ongoing war of words pitting the President and his deputy.
In a statement on Monday, Ruto dismissed Raila saying he is acting hypocritically by purporting to defend President Uhuru yet he has never backed for the three times he vied for the presidency.
"Stop the charade. ODM should stop pretending to value President Uhuru Kenyatta more than those who overwhelmingly supported him in 2013 and 2017: More than those who worked tirelessly to make him President. Those who stood by him. Stop this conmanship," he said in a tweet.
The rejoinder by the DP comes a day after he was at the receiving end of numerous criticism from leaders affiliated with Raila over a leaked audio clip in which he said he almost slapped Uhuru.
In the clip, Ruto is heard talking about intrigues that surrounded the annulment of the 2017 presidential election.
The DP said after the 2017 polls were annulled, President Uhuru was almost quitting the fight for the presidency.
He claimed, in the audio clip, that Uhuru had in fact told him to let go of their presidency bid.
So tense was the moment that the DP said Uhuru even told him that he is retreating to his rural home in Ichaweri, Kiambu county.
"I left here and went to State House. I don't want to say what I found him doing because we are men. There he is, he started showing signs of giving up. He told me he wants to go to Ichaweri. He told me that we quit the fight for the presidency. I looked at him and told him, you, it is because of respect but I would have slapped him."
On Monday, Ruto, while speaking in Kithirune, Central Imenti, in Meru County on Monday, the DP said that there was no way he was going to let Raila Odinga take the presidency away from Uhuru.
The Second in command added that he campaigned for Uhuru in his 2017 presidential bid more than the president.
"I used to wake up, hold three campaigns before the President woke up because he was my friend and there is no way I would let Raila take that seat away from him," Ruto added.
He asked if Azimio supporters wanted the people that had woken up at 4 am to vote for Uhuru's re-election to let their efforts wash away.
