President William Ruto has seemed to get back at his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta, who recently told off the Mt Kenya electorate for failing to heed his advice in 2022.
Speaking on Wednesday, April 1, at the funeral service for Kirinyaga County's first senator, the late Daniel Karaba, Uhuru revisited his counsel to the people in the last vote: that they should not consider Ruto for the presidency.
Uhuru blatantly called out the members of the clergy for contributing to what he said were wrong choices made at the ballot.
According to him, Kenyans are suffering under the current regime because they could not take advice.
He went ahead to warn them that the worst awaits them should they repeat the same mistake.
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Days later, Ruto indirectly answered. He said no one, no matter their status, has the capacity to dictate to Kenyans which leaders they should elect.
The president referenced the Bible, citing the verses that speak to leadership and the legitimacy of leaders.
According to him, no leader assumes office by chance or good luck.
"Some people are giving us long lectures, saying, “Oh, I said…” What you said is yours, but what will happen is God’s will. Is there any leader who is elected by mistake? No matter how much influence you have, you will not decide; it is God who will decide. That is the truth. In 2022, many did not believe it was possible, but God had planned it," the President stated.
The president, to stress his point, referenced the 2022 presidential vote, which he successfully contested without the support of Uhuru.
Then serving as Uhuru's deputy, Ruto went for the seat without Uhuru's support, despite their agreement that he (Uhuru) would support his deputy at the lapse of his ten years as president.
Ruto attributed the 2022 victory to God, adding that the same would replicate itself in the next year's vote.
Regardless, he called on Kenyans to remain united and peaceful in the upcoming electoral cycle.
"In 2022, many did not believe it could be possible for us, but God made it possible. In 2027, God will also plan. All I ask from Kenyans is to be peaceful and vote in unity, everything else will be taken care of by God," Ruto said.
The president's thin-veiled offensive on Uhuru comes as his allies mount pressure on the former president to step back from politics and embrace retirement.
Kericho senator Aaron Cheruiyot is the latest to criticise Uhuru, accusing him of attempting to undermine the current administration.
Speaking on Friday, April 3, during the graduation ceremony of boda boda operators at Kimasian Training Vocational College, Cheruiyot argued that Uhuru has re-emerged, portraying himself as a progressive leader and claiming his tenure was Kenya’s best.
He dismissed this narrative, insisting that Uhuru’s leadership left the country in disarray, which Ruto is now working to fix.
The senator referenced Uhuru’s recent remarks at a funeral, where he suggested Kenyans erred by electing the current regime, and warned them against repeating the mistake.
He maintained that Uhuru’s government damaged the economy and advised him to respect his retirement by keeping off politics.
Cheruiyot, who also serves as Senate Majority Leader, pointed to the examples of retired presidents Mwai Kibaki and Daniel Moi, who withdrew from public life after leaving office.
He noted that Moi stepped aside in 2002 to allow Kibaki to govern, and Kibaki did the same in 2013, enabling Uhuru to serve without interference.
