President William Ruto has broken his silence after cancelling his visit to Embu on Sunday, October 13.
The president was slated to grace the 34th diocesan anniversary celebrations of the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Diocese of Embu.
He however bowed out at the last minute.
Instead, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua joined the faithful of the ACK Diocese of Embu for the special service, as Ruto made his way to AIC Milimani, Nairobi, to join them in marking the church's 30th anniversary celebrations.
While addressing the congregants, Ruto said that he did not want to miss the celebrations despite it not being included in his diary.
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He suggested that he had a tough time weighing which between Embu and the Milimani church functions was he going to attend.
The president said he argued his case with the organisers of the Embu function before making up his mind.
"When the senior pastor told me that they had been sent an invitation for this celebration, I told him I was going to struggle because it was not in my diary. My diary was committed somewhere else, so I had to negotiate with people in other places because I did not want to miss these celebrations," said Ruto.
Ruto said the anniversary at AIC Milimani was personal to him, having started his Christian journey there.
In his speech, the president stayed clear of his deputy's woes, instead choosing to articulate his government's programs.
He restated the benefits Kenyans would get from the Affordable Housing Programme, the transition from the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), among others, and the Kenyan contribution to the multinational security support mission in Haiti.
Ruto's deputy is facing a possible ejection from office after being impeached by the National Assembly.
His fate now lies with the Senate, which, in plenary sessions, will probe him and the charges that led to the impeachment.
The DP was accused of gross misconduct, undermining government policies, and propagating tribalism through shareholding talks, among others.
Notably, the DP has denied the allegations, terming the impeachment as a political witchhunt over his stand for various misdeeds of the current administration.
