Details of the private meetings that Deputy President William Ruto didn’t want media to know about have come to light just one day after he shooed them out of his meetings in Njoro and Molo.
This came about after some journalists broke through Ruto’s strict security and into the sessions where sensitive information was being discussed.
According to sources, Ruto lingered on his agreement with President Uhuru Kenyatta to support him in the election even as he tried to explain why he did so twice.
The relationship with Uhuru was intended to bring peace to the area, which is home to the Kikuyu and Kalenjin tribes in large numbers. He pointed out that the Rift Valley was the area most devastated by the post-election clashes.
Ruto claimed that if he had chosen to run, he would have finished third and would have lost the popular vote.
“When it comes to the politics of the country after the 2007 General Election, the Rift Valley’s residents are the most impacted. I had a conversation with my friend Uhuru as we were sitting down,” he said.
The DP also recalled conversations he had with several leaders who were vying for his support before deciding to work with Uhuru.
He emphasized that Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka had asked him to support his campaign and warned him that he would face a 10-year prison sentence if he was unsuccessful.
“Kalonzo claimed to be a global attorney. He predicted that the two of us would spend around ten years in prison and instead urged us to back him for the presidency. We would be released from prison once he had served his 10-year sentence, according to Ruto.
He also mentioned that he had considered working with Eugene Wamalwa, the defence cabinet secretary. Their alliance, though, had no hope of securing power.
The Deputy President stated that he found it simpler to support Uhuru than it was to rejoin the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party and back Raila Odinga.
“I had the choice to endorse Raila because it was clear he would have won if I had done so. If I had backed Uhuru, the same thing would have transpired. I found it simple to back Uhuru,” Ruto said.
