NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 8 – Deputy President William Ruto has called for an end to resurging name-calling and insults targeted at President Uhuru Kenyatta by a section of lawmakers allied to him.
“Leaders should exercise restraint and avoid insults and bad language against other Kenyans. Unsavoury words against mothers and Head of State is a NO, NO. No amount of anger justifies use of offensive insulting language. There exists decent ways to communicate however one feels,” the DP tweeted on Monday night.
The latest wave of unpalatable words against the Head of State came in the wake of remarks by Environment and Forestry Cabinet Secretary Keriako Tobiko who dismissed Ruto as a mere clerk in government.
Ruto’s tweet on Monday emerged hours following the arrest of Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng’eno who is accused of insulting First Lady Mama Ngina Kenyatta and making hostile remarks against founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta.
A dramatic showdown ensued during Ng’eno’s arrest as hundreds of supporters gathered around his house to stop the police from arresting the vocal legislator.
The supporters offered to escort Ng’eno several kilometers from his home to record a statement with the police in Trans Mara forcing the police to fire in the air in a bid to disperse the crowd and take custody of the lawmaker.
Rift Valley Regional Coordinator George Natembeya accused Ng’eno of fanning ethnic tension in Narok.
Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, while condemning Ng’eno’s arrest as an attempt to silence dissenting voices, dared the police to arrest him.
Sudi accused President Kenyatta of sidelining Ruto in an administration he campaigned selflessly to ascend to power, saying the second in command had be reduces to a squatter in a government he was elected to serve.
Former Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen had made remarks mirroring Sudi’s accusing President Kenyatta on engineering Ruto’s alienation in government.
Ruto’s lieutenants in Central, Rift Valley and Coast region have been on an overdrive castigating President Kenyatta’s administration with Tobiko’s remarks during a Friday tour of Loita Forest in Kajiado inflating anger from the Deputy President’s camp.
“Tobiko you contributed nothing to UhuRuto. In both Ilpolosat and Mashuri polling stations, NASA (opposition) won. Your MCAs both in Imaroro and Kaputiei Wards are NASA. No one knows you in your village which you only visit for funerals. In Embobut Uhuru won all votes you can’t defend him better than me,” Murkomen fired back.