Deputy President William Ruto has opened up on his experience at Wilson Airport saying the State House wants to 'belittle' him.
Ruto on Monday was blocked from travelling to Uganda by Immigration officials who said he did not have clearance from his boss, President Kenyatta.
"Kuna wimbo unasema ‘Matatizo Tumeyazoea’... Tumepata matatizo... Wabunge wengi wamefurushwa kutoka kamati za bunge. Mimi mwenyewe nimewekwa pembeni. So, yale yalifanyika ni kujaribu kunidunisha, nionekane sina maana…” Ruto said.
Speaking on Inooro FM on Wednesday morning, Ruto said the event was a culmination of the four years onslaught targeting him and his allies, occurrences he blamed on the entry of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s handshake partners.
Ruto said he was surprised to be asked documents he has never used when seeking clearance for the past nine years.
“What happened at Wilson is part of the onslaught on me in the supremacy fights in the ranks of Jubilee,” the DP said in an interview with Inooro FM.
The deputy president said he has been sidelined in government for quite some time.
"This was to belittle me. I was not going on government business. It is my private business. I don’t want to speak much on them since they don’t have any bearing on Kenyans' issues," he said.
"Naendelea na maisha yangu. What was to happen in Uganda continued without me. Kwa miaka minne, watu wamekuwa wakiniwekea maneno—Oo sijui Ruto anashindana na Rais, sijui amemkosea heshima Rais…"
Ruto said he cannot accept such accusations.
"Haya mambo yote nimeyakataa. Hata hiyo kunizuia Wilson ni kuniweka hali ya kubishana nao. Mimi nimewawachia Mungu…”
On Tuesday, senior government officials said Ruto will not be allowed to travel out of the country without written permission from President Uhuru Kenyatta from now on.
The officials said the State House issued the new orders soon after Ruto returned from Zanzibar two weeks ago.
They asked not to be named because they are not authorised to speak to the media on the issue but are aware of the instructions.
With about one year to the next general election on August 9, 2022, the wedge between Uhuru and Ruto is rapidly expanding.
The two are not on speaking terms. In fact, the President is rallying the opposition to unite and vanquish the DP.
On Tuesday, furious Ruto allies accused the President of taking revenge against his deputy for his rising political stardom, including victories in recent by-elections.
“The President has blocked the DP from performing his official duties and now he is blocking him from his private engagements. This is a ridiculous show of deep insecurity and tactlessness," Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen said.
Some analysts have raised the red flag that the deteriorating relationship between Uhuru and Ruto is dangerous.
Edited by D Tarus