Raphael Tuju, revealed that Deputy President William Ruto was paid to support President Uhuru Kenyatta in the Jubilee party.
The Executive Director of the Azimio Presidential Secretariat, and former Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju, confirmed that Ruto presented demands that he wanted to be met before fitting in the Jubilee suit in 2013, which included money.
“The people of Mount Kenya should not think that Ruto supported Uhuru willingly in the first place, this is a person of blackmail. He was paid. I can attest before the court of law how it took place,” Tuju confessed while being interviewed by the media on Wednesday.
“He presented grievances that were accompanied by conditions he needed to be met for him to fully support Kenyatta. With Ruto politics is business. Ruto was given 50% shares in the cabinets and parastatals when Kenyatta was making appointments, which Ruto gave to his people and friends.” The Azimio Secretariat added.
Tuju asked the public to take this year’s State House race as crucial and one in which voters need to consider their leaders carefully, based on character. Tuju described the Kenya Kwanza alliance flagbearer, as an unethical leader who Kenyans cannot trust to run the top office.
“Trying to blackmail Kikuyus that he supported them is false. He was paid and this is someone you cannot trust with the Treasury and the Central Bank,” he said.
“In this election, the character of a leader is crucial, what kind of person is William Ruto and his running mate Gachagua? Or Raila Odinga and Martha Karua?”
Tuju who went for the defense of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition flag-bearer Raila Odinga’s Said the party’s idea for Raila to boycott Tuesday night’s Presidential Debate was thoughtful since sharing a stage with DP Ruto would only soil Odinga’s political career.
“Sitting with a character like Ruto on the same stage knowing well his character, is like trouble searching. You only come out of it soiled,” said Tuju.
He further explained that Odinga’s attendance would not have been consequential in his quest for the presidency the questions that would require his answers will be raised in the forum held at the town hall where Azimio meetings are to happen.
The Azimio’s campaign secretariat confirmed on Sunday that the traditional debate of him and the Azimio deputy presidential running mate, Martha Karua will be televised at the town hall in Nairobi to engage voters.
“It would be a colossal mistake to reward such a person with a national debate…. Instead of a traditional debate, we plan to take part in a televised town hall at Jericho Social Hall in Nairobi’s Eastlands with ordinary Kenyans to offer our solutions to the challenges facing the country and common people,” Prof. Makau Mutua, secretariat’s spokesperson said in a statement.
