Deputy President William Ruto on Monday chased away journalists at his Nakuru meeting convened to strategies on his presidential bid.
However some journalists found a way to sneak to hear what the second in command was planning to say privately.
According to The Standard, the Deputy President tried to explain why he endorsed the incumbent Head of State twice while also dwelling on his election deal with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The partnership 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 affected 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 wanted 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. He claimed that once his ten years were up, we would be released, ” Ruto said.
He also mentioned that he had considered working with Eugene Wamalwa, though their alliance 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. Supporting Uhuru was simple for me to do. ” He said.
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