This archive report was first published on 5 July 2019.
On Thursday, Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino made a rare defense of President Uhuru Kenyatta, targeting a clique of leaders who have been against the President.
Speaking at a press conference organized by 20 MPs drawn from Jubilee and ODM, Mr. Owino took issue with Deputy President William Ruto, accusing him of making rounds in the country busy campaigning for the 2022 general election.
“Some people are blackmailing the President, in the name of painting his good name yet they have not performed anything,” said Mr. Owino.
Mr. Owino posed a question to Kenyans, asking who between Raila Odinga and Ruto is the lord of poverty, and concluded his address with the words, “Thank you and I owe no one an apology.”
Mr. Owino's defense of the President comes after he was arrested in September 2017 over alleged abusive remarks on President Kenyatta. It is alleged that Mr. Owino referred to an unnamed person as 'toto wa mbwa' while addressing a public rally in Kawangware.
