Deputy President William Ruto was on Sunday, April 10, forced to temporarily suspend his speech in Kiambu after Azimio la Umoja, a proposed coalition led by Raila Odinga, chants rented the air during his address.
The deputy president who was in the vote-rich Mt Kenya region to popularise his bottom-up economic model received a hostile reception after perceived supporters of ODM leader Raila Odinga interrupted his speech with the chants.
In a video doing rounds on social media, a section of the crowd can be heard responding ‘Azimio’ to every question Ruto poses.
“Mimi nataka niwaulize, mimi nakaa kupwangwa?” Ruto posed as the crowd responded “Azimio.”
Ruto further lead the Kenya Kwanza leaders in mocking the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) for banning words perceived to promote hate speech.
While asking the commission not to weaponize some words, defiant Ruto repeatedly mentioned the words ‘hatupangwingwi’ and ‘watajua hawajui’.
The DP was accompanied by MPs Rigathi Gachagua (Mathira), Thika’s Patrick Wainaina, Moses Kuria (Gatundu South), John Njuguna of Kiambaa, Kiambu Women Rep aspirants Ann Wamuratha and Loise Kim, Kiambu Assembly Speaker Stephen Ndichu and Kiambu Senate aspirant Karungo Thang’wa.
Ruto and Raila are both fighting over the control of Mt Kenya politics, a region considered very important to whoever wants to be the next president.
While Raila has the support of outgoing president Uhuru Kenyatta, Ruto has managed to prove he can get a sizeable chunk of the important voting bloc in the August 9 presidential election.
The former Eldoret North MP has the support of a number of MPs, Senators, Women representatives as well as governors who believe he deserves to succeed Uhuru especially after deputising him since 2013.
Recently, Ida Odinga, wife to ODM leader Raila Odinga was booed off at a church in Meru county, forcing her to cut short her speech.
Organisers of the event blamed the development of local politics which pitted politicians allied to William Ruto on one side and those allied to Raila Odinga on the other.
