NAIVASHA, Kenya Aug 8 – Deputy President William Ruto has asked the government not to use the criminal justice system to drive the country’s politics in the wake of the arrest of a Turkish businessman allied to him.
Harun Aydin was arrested on Saturday on arrival from Uganda for interrogation by Immigration officers and Anti Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) detectives on whether he had engaged in criminal activities in the country.
Ruto was stopped from travelling to Uganda with Aydin on August 2, due to lack of clearance from the President but he has protested saying he is not required to seek permission to travel having travelled without clearance for the past nine years.
Ruto has defended the Turkish saying he even assisted him get a Sh15 billion loan from Equity bank to invest in a vaccine manufacturing plant in Uganda.
The Deputy President said political differences among leaders should not result in the oppression of ordinary citizens and the derailment of government development programmes.
“Our development agenda has derailed because of political wrangles. If we had used the energy, resources and the time we have spent in fighting our perceived political enemies we would have had enough time and resources to implement the Big Four,” Ruto said Sunday
Speaking during a church service at St Joseph’s Catholic Church Karagita in Naivasha today, Dr Ruto said the criminal justice system was being abused to intimidate leaders who support him.
He said the trend had now evolved from politicians to investors, a move that threatens the country’s growth.
“They are trying to sell fear to Kenyans, that if you are friends with Ruto you are taken to court. If you are an investor known by Ruto you are taken to court,” he said.
The Deputy President said the country would have been better off had his competitors presented Kenyans with an alternative economic agenda to his bottom-up model.
He asked Kenyans not to allow politicians to take them back to tribal and divisive politics.
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