Raila Odinga Junior has said that Deputy President (DP) William Ruto tried to entice him and his sister Winnie Odinga with ‘high level government positions’, in a kind of divide and rule tactic.
This comes hours after DP Ruto tols Citizen TV’s Hussein Mohamed that ODM Party leader Raila Odinga tried to approach him four times for ‘the handshake, but he refused prompting Raila to approach President Uhuru Kenyatta who agreed.
“Before Raila Odinga engaged President Uhuru Kenyatta on the handshake, he engaged me. Raila Odinga approached me on four occasions to have a discussion and I declined to engage him for two reasons,” said Ruto.
In a comeback, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has refuted Ruto’s claim.
Mr, Sifuna says that Ruto is a known 'pathological liar with an almost deranged mentality', who doesn't warrant any reply, but because these are 'strange times', then a right of reply is necessary.
In a lengthy reply published by one of the local news channels, Sifuna goes on to state that Ruto, 'as is well known, is currently the country's biggest burden, both on the national conscience, and in the literal sense'.
DP Ruto did not discolse why Mr. Odinga (Senior) approached him.
'This would be laughable if the accusation didn't raise such grave concerns', Mr. Sifuna stated
The ODM Secretary General also states four things to be considered thus:
Four things should immediately be clear about this, even before we respond;
- The President has round the clock access to intelligence briefings, and would have known if any of the purported approaches had happened.
- Rt. Hon Raila Odinga had ran in the 2017 elections against President Uhuru Kenyatta, not Deputy President William Ruto. There would be no logic at all in Rt. Hon Odinga making approaches to a Deputy President.
- The history of Rt. Hon Raila Odinga and William Ruto, since the grand coalition government days, is well known, and even if Ruto was the last human being left standing in this land, the Rt. Hon Odinga would much rather make a deal with the birds and trees, but not a character like William Ruto.
- Ruto’s string of lies and denials – which he later owns up to when cornered – are well documented. It is only a visitor to Kenya that would not recall the Muteshi land saga and Weston Hotel ownership denials.
Sifuna accuses Ruto of approaching Raila Odinga, to 'tame Uhuru Kenyatta', however, all those attempts were rejected.
Mr Sifuna ends by asking the public to treat 'these blatant lies with the contempt they deserve and not to tire from demanding for acceleration of the war on corruption and specifically the arrest and prosecution of the High Priest of corruption himself'.
Guys, gloves are off.