KISII, Kenya
Several people were injured on Sunday after youths donning ODM t-shirts clashed with those allied to Deputy President William Ruto at Suneka in Bonchari, Kisii.
The rival groups attacked each other
with clubs and stones just as Ruto approached Suneka junction and was preparing
to address a gathering at the venue.
The crowd in ODM T-shirts heckled the
DP, sparking off the confrontation that lasted for minutes.
An injured man lay helpless on the
ground after he was hit with a club on the head as Ruto continued to address
his supporters, less than five metres away.
The man was later helped by Kisii
Deputy Governor Joash Maangi’s aides, who rushed him to hospital.
The DP was driven away to the home of
Mama Teresa Bitutu, the widow of Oroo Oyioka — the late Bonchari MP who was
succeeded by Pavel Oimeke.
On his way back, violence erupted
again, causing confusion and panic as the DP was preparing to address the
crowd.
The violence sent residents scampering
before calm was restored after the DP started his address. "It is
very wrong for some of our local leaders to pay youths here to cause violence.
I am calling on youths not to accept to be used to fighting their colleagues.
You deserve a job and business, not to be used as hooligans," said Ruto.
He said money set aside for development
should be used for projects and not to organise chaos.
Earlier, the DP told off his critics
for downplaying the role he has played in shaping the Jubilee administration
development agenda before he fell out with boss President Uhuru Kenyatta.
He took credit for the development
projects initiated by the Jubilee administration, saying he had played a big
role in coordinating their implementation.
The DP, who spoke after attending a
church service in Kenyenya, said he had ensured the construction of more than
300 kilometres of tarmac road in the region alone, 140,000 electricity
connections from just 27,000 and provision of clean water to communities.
His remarks appear to have targeted
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, who has been using the projects to
showcase his achievements to his Gusii community. “I am appealing to the Gusii
for support. We have come a long way in matters development and politics,” the
DP said, noting that he has not abandoned the community since 2013 when they
formed the government with President Kenyatta.
Ruto endeared himself to the Gusii
community with promises of job opportunities, a vibrant economy, peace and
stability.
Ruto is on a three-day tour of the
region in what some of his allies have said is taming Matiang’i, who is being
fronted by some leaders and members of the community for presidency.
And although the DP did not make a
direct reference to Matiang’i in his Friday and Saturday tours, he used every
opportunity to discredit the CS indirectly in his remarks.
In a meeting with Gusii leaders on
Friday night, the DP said the formation of a regional party, which Matiang’i’s
allies are pushing for, is an unwanted agenda. He made a passionate appeal to
the leaders, politicians and opinion leaders to support his bid for the
presidency.
The DP is also trying to woo some of
his allies back to his camp after they showed signs of defecting to Matiang’is
camp.
MPs Silvanus Osoro (South Mugirango), Alpha Miruka (Bomachoge Chache),
Joash Nyamoko (North Mugirango) and Shadrack Mose (Kitutu Masaba) accompanied
the DP in his Friday and Saturday events. The group also featured prominently
in last week’s Nairobi meetings attended by the CS.
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