Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

top

Kenya

Uhuru and Ruto tell Raila they ll be back

KIAMBU, Kenya Apr 2- Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and Eldoret MP William Ruto on Friday heightened their war against Prime Minister Raila Odinga vowing to fight him politically to the end.

Mr Kenyatta, who hosted Ruto in a series of rallies in Kiambu County, accused the PM of serving foreign masters in his push to have the Ocampo six tried at The Hague over the 2008 post-election violence.

"Those who are persecuting us are the ones who were at the helm of the chaos and now they think they can use this process to eliminate their competition.  We said we will go to The Hague but I promise you that they will not succeed in their plans," he told a rally at Banana Town.

Mr Ruto once again hinted at an alliance between him and the Deputy Premier to succeed President Kibaki after next year poll.

"This journey that we have been sent on, with Uhuru, Muthaura and the all the others (to the ICC) is aimed at the ensuring, he (Mr Odinga) receives a through pass into State House.  I want to tell them they can cheat some people sometime, they cannot cheat all the people all of the time," he said.

"We are telling him and his friends that we are changing the tide of this journey… we have put him on notice that this journey will end at the ballot. We will give him a run for his money at the polls", he said.

The Eldoret North MP maintained that it was Mr Odinga who should be facing trial after refusing to concede defeat in the 2007 presidential election and calling for mass action which led to the violence.

He said the charges preferred against Head of Civil Service Francis Muthaura were cooked up charges, saying the career diplomat was incapable of doing such deeds.

The Finance Minister said he was sure that The Hague process would vindicate them, adding that they were looking at ways of ensuring peaceful co-existence between communities living in the Rift Valley.

The duo also vowed to the block the inclusion of the foreign experts in the implementation of the new constitution.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Mr Ruto cited the Premier\’s agitation to having a foreign chief justice and judges to oversee the vetting of judicial officers at the expense of the Kenyan professionals, who are equally competent.

"He wants our youth to do jobs listed under the KKV such as digging trenches, clearing bushes and other casual jobs. Is it fair for our youth to do such jobs so that foreigners can get the good jobs," posed Mr Ruto.

Speaking at a prayer rally in Githunguri Constituency, Mr Kenyatta accused the Prime Minister of playing to the tune of foreign interests saying that it\’s why he is always pushing for the foreign experts to take posts in public institutions.
 
He said foreign powers had failed to influence President Kibaki during his term.

"Raila has been serving foreign masters and this is why he calls for foreign experts on crucial jobs that the New Constitution provides. However this is unacceptable. They have been unable to dictate to Kibaki and I say in broad daylight that they can\’t dictate to me how to run the affairs of this country", said Mr Kenyatta.

Mr Odinga recently stated that ODM would only support a local tribunal if it had foreign judges, prosecutors and investigators to ensure transparency and credibility in its operations.

Speaking in the company of more than 10MPs, Mr Ruto accused civil society organisations and opinion poll firms of cooking up statistics to show Kenyans were in support of The Hague process while the opposite was true.
 
"NGOs sit in hotels and write rumours that 80 percent of Kenyans support the ICC process, yet a tour of the country shows Kenyans are grossly opposed to the ICC," said the suspended Higher Education Minister.

The Deputy Premier said that his recent public rallies across the country have shown Kenyans were resoundingly against the international criminal court handling the Kenyan case.

"We don\’t want to go the NGOs, pollsters or the media. We have decided to go to the people and ask them whether they want us to go to The Hague or if we should our affairs internally, so that they can prove there statistics," said Mr Kenyatta.

The two leaders are among six Kenyans who have been summoned to appear before the ICC next Thursday and Friday over the role in the 2008 post election violence.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Follow us on http://twitter.com/CapitalFM_kenya

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf4HRvN6dkk

About The Author

Comments
Advertisement

More on Capital News