Deputy President William Ruto has asked Kenyans to stay firm against intimidation and threats from the so-called “deep state and the system”.
Ruto was speaking at his official Karen home on Tuesday, August 11, where he hosted a delegation of community leaders from Kajiado South Constituency led by MP Katoo Ole Metito and Senator Mary Seneta.
The deep state is viewed as a group of influential members of government agencies or the military, believed to be involved in the secret manipulation or control of government policy.
Ruto urged leaders and Kenyans to stay firm and believe in God to defeat such machinations, even if they plan to rig the 2022 General Election.
“Tunatishiwa ati iko system, iko deep state. Ati iko watu watatuibia kura ata mkipiga kura namna gani, kuna watu wameketi mahali fulani wataamua (We are being threatened that there is a system or deep state which consists of people who will rig us out during the General Election and that the winners have already been predetermined),” he stated.
“Nataka niwaambie, hawa watu tunawangojea. Hiyo deep state tunangojea, hiyo system tunangojea. Watakuja na system tutakuja na wananchi na mungu (I want to dare them. We are waiting for the so-called deep state. They have the system but we have the people and God on our side,)” he warned.
The sidelining of DP Ruto from the core functioning of the government has been touted by some Kenyans as a signal that influential people in government don’t support him.
Many political analysts have argued winning an election is not a straightforward exercise as idealistic proponents of democracy tend to believe.
The deputy president stated that some leaders employed the same tactics in 2013 with the “choices have consequences” call against the Jubilee coalition which proved futile.
He said President Uhuru Kenyatta and himself overcame such threats from those opposed to their candidature.
“If I was a coward, I would not have supported President Kenyatta in 2013 because some people told me not to work with him,” he observed.
At the same time, the DP urged senators to develop a revenue-sharing formula that will ensure a “win-win” situation for all counties.
