Democracy in Kenya is on trial - Deputy President

BALTIMORE, USA

Kenya’s Deputy President, William Ruto, yesterday told members of the international community that democracy was on trial in Kenya and that voters may not have a chance to freely make their choices at the ballot in the coming General Election.

The DP used his visit to the United States, to warn of a strong possibility that Kenyans’ right to exercise their freedom of choice without threats and intimidation might be at stake in the August 9 polls.

Speaking at Karson Institute for Race, Peace and Social Justice at Loyola University in Baltimore, Ruto said the coming polls were a litmus test to the country’s democracy adding he was ready to defend all Kenyans’ right to vote without intimidation.

Ruto, who has fallen out with his boss- President Uhuru Kenyatta, over who should succeed the Head of State after the polls, appeared to question Uhuru’s decision to back ODM leader Raila Odinga and the use of the State machinery to accomplish the mission.  

He and his allies have termed Raila’s presidential bid as sponsored by the State, branding him a government project. They have often asked Kenyans not to yield to intimidation by the government to vote for Raila.  

“The biggest issue on the ballot is the democracy of our nation and whether we truly have the opportunity to make free choices devoid of blackmail, threats and intimidation. That is a matter that is on the ballot. If you understand a bit of Kiswahili that’s what informs the current push by many Kenyans to say hatupangwingwi, meaning ‘we want to make our choices without being choreographed or chaperoned or blackmailed or intimidated,” Ruto said.

The DP said there was also a deliberate attempt by a group of State actors to weaponise the criminal justice system so it acts in their favour. 

He, however, praised the citizens for rising up against such attempts saying they had won his support.  

William Ruto (centre) and his wife Rachel at the Karson Institute for Race, Peace and Social Justice, Loyola University in Baltimore, Maryland, US

“The only concern that many Kenyans have is the intrusion by agencies to try and manipulate decisions of people at different levels. The good thing is that the people of Kenya have stood very firm against any attempts to make decisions on their behalf,” he said.

He added: There is a huge pushback by citizens against any attempt to choreograph the next dispensation in Kenya. There is a lot of blackmail, intimidation, use of the criminal justice system to intimidate, blackmail leaders and to ask people to vote in a certain way but Kenya being a very progressive and having practiced democracy for a long while they have stood up to this.

 “As a leader in Kenya, I have taken the position to protect and to speak against any attempts to try and straitjacket people into predetermined outcomes. I’m confident that the people of Kenya will prevail and that Kenyans will make independent choices,”

The DP also touched on the claims of rigging saying he was aware of talk around the possibility of interfering with the August poll results.

He, however, asked his competitors to prepare to concede defeat instead of resorting to violence saying; without referring to anyone, that there were leaders known for always disputing voting outcomes. 

“You remember the events of 2007/08 were premised on a stolen election and we keep hearing this stolen election narrative. What we are asking is that every candidate must commit that they will accept the outcome of the election and if they query the outcome, it should be using constitutionally-stipulated mechanisms and not pushing people to war,” said the DP.  

Ruto, who has served in the DP’s post for the last nine years, boldly claimed that the country’s economy had been “captured by cartels and brokers” vowing to free it from them if elected President.