This archive report was first published on 29 September 2019.
Deputy President William Ruto has responded to Youth and Gender Affairs Chief Administrative Secretary Rachel Shebesh's attack on McDonald Mariga, the Jubilee Party's Kibra parliamentary candidate.
On Saturday, Ruto took to Twitter to ask Jubilee supporters to ignore calls by 'rebels and rejected' leaders in the party, in an apparent reference to Shebesh's comments.
"All Jubilee Party supporters should ignore & treat with utter contempt rebels and those rejected by the electorate who now deceptively purport to speak for the party leadership," Ruto posted.
He also asked the Jubilee supporters to give Mariga their moral support during the campaign period, saying "Let's give Mariga our flag bearer moral, material and prayerful support. Victory is surely beckoning."
Shebesh had allegedly told a group of women that President Uhuru Kenyatta was 'pressured' to endorse Mariga for the Kibra seat, and that she was at State House when the DP pressurized the president to endorse Mariga on September 18, 2019.
"Hiyo siku mnaskia ya kuweka kofia mimi nilikuwa State House kazi ingine na CS. Mimi najua mamna ambao waliingia hiyo State House na mlango ya nyuma. Mimi najua vile waliweka pressure ya hiyo picha mliona," Shebesh said.
Shebesh's comments were made in a video that has been circulating on social media.
On September 18, 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta and Mariga had met at State House.
