This archive report was first published on 12 September 2021.
Deputy President William Ruto has described himself as a survivor, citing his ability to weather numerous political storms in his career.
Speaking at the Global Cathedral church in Langata constituency on Sunday, Ruto said he had come to realize that he was indeed a survivor, having weathered many challenges in his political journey.
"I was in Mombasa and some people acknowledged me as a hustler while others called me Mheshimwa (honourable). One person who I don't know why, called me a survivor. I didn't understand why, until today. I have realized that indeed am a survivor," Ruto told the congregation.
Ruto has been at the centre of political controversies since last year, when his differences with President Uhuru Kenyatta intensified following the Head of State's handshake with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
He has accused a section of senior government officials at Harambee House, led by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi and Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho, of frustrating him.
Two weeks ago, President Kenyatta urged Ruto to resign, saying he was always criticising the government from within.
Ruto has since embraced his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, which he intends to use to vie in the 2022 election when he hopes to succeed President Kenyatta.
He has made it clear that Kenyatta and Odinga's association is aimed at blocking him from the race, and he accuses leaders of tearing apart his UDA party and its symbol to focus on rebuilding their own parties.
"For those who have problems with the simplicity of the wheelbarrow symbol, they can as well tell us about the complexity of the orange," Ruto said in a direct response to ODM leaders who have criticized UDA's choice of a wheelbarrow as a party symbol.
