NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 1 — Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate William Ruto has accused top officials in the Office of the President of fomenting chaos in Eldoret and the larger Uasin Gishu in the Rift Valley region following the emergence of leaflets bearing inciting messages.
The Deputy President who reiterated his commitment to peaceful elections on August 9 said President Uhuru Kenyatta needed to rein in officials in the Ministry of Interior to avert an escalation that could plunge the country into chaos.
Speaking during a Kenya Kwanza rally in Eldoret on Monday, DP Ruto urged the police officers to only focus on their constitutional mandate and steer clear of politics.
“You will not take us back. That dream of wanting to cause violence among our people will not succeed. We will not allow our people to fight because of politics,” he said.
“We have decided to be one people and one Nation even after the outcome of the August 9 polls. We will never again shed blood because of politics.”
He further appealed to his supporters not to fall for provocation exuding confidence that their votes will hand him a decisive win.
“I want to ask every supporter of Kenya Kwanza, please do not accept to be provoked in any manner. Violence cannot be part of the equation in this election. We are asking every Kenyan to campaign and vote peacefully.”
“We have already defeated our competitors and the only armory they have now is to cause disharmony and violence because they know we have the votes,” Ruto said.
Ruto made the remarks a day after Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho revealed that the government was aware of leaflets containing warnings targeted at the electorate in certain areas.
Kibicho said the messages warned of dire consequences should the electorate fail to vote for certain candidates during the August 9 General Election.
“To our dismay, we’re aware of leaflets warnings the electorate of dire consequences should they fail to vote for certain candidates on August 9,” Kibicho said on his twitter handle.
Kibicho warned that those behind such threats will be dealt with in accordance with law adding that a multi-agency team had already been dispatched to handle the matter.
“A multi-agency security team is pursuing the authors and distributors of the leaflets for a swift and deserved date with the justice system,” he stated.
He did not list the areas which were affected but social media images of the leaflets showed Uasin Gishu among targeted areas.
Kibicho’s statement attracted criticism from a section of Kenya Kwanza politicians who accused the Ministry of Interior of seeking to destabilize Rift Valley, where Ruto enjoys a significant following, to sabotage the election.
“Your clever antics are going to earn you a date with the Chief Prosecutor of International Criminal Court. That’s OK if that’s what you want. But if that happens, you will also have returned Mr Uhuru Kenyatta to the dock as the First Accused. I hope you have THOUGHT about that,” Eric Ngeno, a former presidential speech writer, said.
