Deputy President William Ruto has responded to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s highly publicized Sagana III meeting with a bullish challenge to his main rival Raila Odinga.
During the meeting at Sagana State Lodge on Wednesday, Uhuru officially endorsed Raila as his preferred successor.
READ – Uhuru in Sagana: “I Will Leave This Government To Raila”
On Thursday, DP Ruto spoke in Kitui and said he respects Uhuru’s decision to support the ODM leader.
“I am aware that my friend the President of Kenya has decided in his democratic right to support my competitor and I respect the opinion of the president and my friend,” he said.
Ruto however dared the former Prime Minister to stop riding on Uhuru’s coattails and face him “mano a mano”.
“I voted for Uhuru, I campaigned for him and Odinga has never voted or campaigned for President Kenyatta, but I am okay with his decision to support that one person that has never voted for him,” Ruto said.
“However, Odinga should remember that I am not competing with Uhuru, I am competing with him, let him come out and face me,” the DP added.
In a follow-up statement through his official Twitter handle, DP Ruto expressed confidence Kenyans will choose a bottom-up economic model over a handout blueprint in the August polls.
“The August General Election will pit those that are for creation of jobs and enterprise expansion for ordinary Kenyans against believers of patronage, trickle-down economic approach and handouts. Kenyans will decide,” the tweet reads.
