Deputy President William Ruto has told off political rival Raila Odinga for attacking the electoral commission over its Sh14 billion referendum projection cost.
"Let’s stop attacking independent institutions like IEBC [Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission]" said DP Ruto, who was speaking on Friday in Murang'a County.
On Thursday, Raila said the electoral agency needs to be overhauled, accusing it of an attempt to fleece taxpayers and turning the commission into a cash cow.
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“Elections have become one of the major avenues for ripping off the country through various schemes that are never meant to save costs or yield credible results but to line pockets of individuals. Those schemes are evident in the IEBC’s latest reasoning,” said the ODM chief.
But in a rejoinder, Ruto now claims that Raila is also out to benefit from the Building Bridges Initiative referendum despite his attack on the IEBC.
The DP, who was leading a fundraiser for boda boda operators in Kangema, said that he is still championing the BBI referendum drive while also pushing for the poor to be heard.
"My joy is that when we are discussing about Prime Minister's position, we are also discussing about wheelbarrows. We have not been having discussion about the poor and the ordinary hustlers.We must speak about the big 4 even as we speak about the BBI," said Ruto.
Addressing concerns raised by Jubilee vice-chairman David Murathe about his frequent visits to the Mt. Kenya region, Ruto said that nobody should bar him from touring any part of the country.
"I am here as a servant and Deputy President to these people," said Ruto.
The DP told politicians that there are some issues in the BBI report that need consensus.
"BBI is not uniting Kenyans. More discussions are still needed to agree on the debate," said Ruto.
The DP was touring Murang'a County two weeks after he was forced to reschedule two fundraisers in Kangema and Mathioya to attend a Cabinet meeting called to prepare the ground for the Building Bridges Initiative final report launch.
