NAROK, Kenya Jan 31 – Deputy President William Ruto has said no one has his political debt.
He said the only debt he has is that of helping President Uhuru Kenyatta unite and transform Kenya.
“I supported President Kenyatta in 2013 and 2017 without conditions. The Head of State should not be pushed to backing my 2022 candidature,” he said Sunday during a church service in Trans-Mara.
Ruto spoke a day after President Kenyatta told Mt Kenya leaders in Sagana that he owed no individual a political debt, instead he said he is indebted to Kenyans.
Kenyatta dismissed claims that he had reneged on his promise to Ruto when he supported him for two consecutive elections, instead saying “Many say that we had an agreement with my deputy over my support to him, I want to state that I negotiated with the Kalenjin community and Kikuyu elders as well for us to join forces so no one should blame me over anything.”
He said Mt Kenya residents will negotiate with all tribes over who to support when his term is almost over incase the community has no presidential candidate come 2022.
“I want to say we will convene a similar meeting like this to chart our way forward on who to support, we cannot allow our community to be auctioned” Kenyatta said.
On Sunday, Ruto equally reiterated the sentiments that he is not owed even as he moves around the country in what is see as a stratety to consolodate support for his 2022 presidential ambition.
The Deputy President said he would not allow Kenya to be taken back to ethnic-based politics that is not only risky but dangerous to the social fabric of the country.
“I decline the invitation to the politics of tribe. We are one country and need to move forward together, our backgrounds notwithstanding,” he explained.
He asked leaders to stop being disturbed by the so-called politics of debt and argued that he was engaging in politics not because of the alleged debts but because of his vision to empower ordinary Kenyans.
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