Raila Hits Back at Deputy President William Ruto over Conmanship Remarks

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has responded to Deputy President William Ruto’s claims that he is planning to wreck Jubilee Party.

On Sunday, Ruto claimed that Odinga is taking advantage of his handshake deal with President Kenyatta to pursue his personal political agenda.

“The handshake is not a license so that you can bring confusion, propaganda and conman-ship into our party,”said Ruto while speaking in Mombasa.

He continued: “We will not entertain propaganda in the government. They joined us so that we can transform Kenya but if their intention is to break the Jubilee Party or the government, we are telling them ‘we are watching you.'”

Ruto further alleged that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader was planning to have him kicked out of the ruling party ahead of 2022 presidential elections.

“I was also in ODM and they kicked me out after issuing me with show cause letter as they have done to Aisha Jumwa and Suleiman Dori. But I want to tell them, you cannot eject me from ODM then follow me and have me out of Jubilee. That is impossible.”

In a rejoinder, Odinga said the Deputy President is afraid of the renewed fight against corruption and is using him [Raila] as a scapegoat.

"If you are innocent, why should you panic? We have said the war on graft is not targeting anyone. What is amazing is how others are barking like 'dogs' as if they already know they are guilty," Odinga said while speaking in Mlolongo on Monday.

Odinga added that his only focus is on tacking issues bedeviling Kenya through the Buildings Bridges Initiative.

"If you are running alone, you cannot claim to have won because you cannot compete against yourself," he said.

"We are only interested in what is crippling the Kenyan people, that is corruption, mass theft, insecurity and poverty."