- Ngunyi said President William Ruto should learn the art of silent battle and keep his intentions to himself.
- "Dear Ruto: aspire to become a statesman. Let Riggy G become the village bumbkin in your government. You talk too much. Conceal your intentions," he said.
Political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi has weighed in on the heated exchange between the government and the opposition.
Ngunyi said President William Ruto should learn the art of silent battle and keep his intentions to himself.
"Dear Ruto: aspire to become a statesman. Let Riggy G become the village bumbkin in your government. You talk too much. Conceal your intentions," he said.
"... Grab every opportunity to shut up with your dear life."
Ruto and the chief opposition leader Raila Odinga have been involved in a bitter exchange, with Raila maintaining that he won the August 2022 presidential elections.
On Monday, in a statement directed to Raila's leadership, Ruto said no amount of resistance including the holding of rallies will change his stand on the directive.
"Even if they sponsor demonstrations so that they don't pay taxes, I want to promise them, they will pay tax. There is no more exception," Ruto said.
Raila has held two anti-Ruto protests, where he asked the President to accept that he did not win the elections.
The ODM leader said Ruto should leave the State House so that he can occupy it.
"Accept that you were defeated in the election, leave State House for Baba to get in," he said.
"We are speaking the truth, we do not want war, and we do not want threats. We have our rights as Kenyans, and they can not be snatched by a hawk, Kenyans deserve a leader that they elected."
Ruto accused Raila and his allies in the Azimio camp of resorting to demonstrations in a bid to avoid paying taxes.
He said those who used to exempt themselves from paying taxes using government instruments are sponsoring the demonstrations.
Speaking on Monday while addressing the National Assembly Post-Election Seminar in Mombasa county, Ruto however, said no amount of intimidation was going to force the government to exempt a section of elites from paying taxes.
"This country is not the animal farm where some are more equal than others. We are going to have a society where every citizen carries a fair share of our burden to raise their taxes," Ruto said.
Ruto said his insistence on Kenyans to pay taxes is not on new taxes but on those that have been in existence and ratified by the law.
The President said he will not be blackmailed into going off the government agenda on payment of taxes.