This archive report was first published on 13 August 2019.
Published on August 13, 2019, Deputy President William Ruto has sparked controversy with his recent outburst against President Uhuru Kenyatta's association with Raila Odinga, a prominent Luo leader.
According to Ruto, the Luo community is known for uprooting the railway, blocking roads, destroying houses, and separating friends. He questioned the purpose of entertaining people with such a reputation.
"Those people telling us many stories, don't we know them? They are people we know. They are people who destroy. If they are not destroying a party, they are destroying a house. If they are not destroying a house, they are uprooting the railway. If they are not uprooting the railway, they are separating friends. If we understand these people, we are entertaining them for what purposes?" Ruto asked in an apparent reference to the Luo community.
The Deputy President's comments come in the wake of a revelation that President Uhuru and Raila Odinga will travel together to China next week to negotiate for a Sh368 billion loan for the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Kisumu and parts of Western Kenya.
William Ruto has been at odds with President Uhuru over his association with Raila Odinga, and this latest attack is seen as a continuation of their ongoing feud.
