DP Ruto: They won't rig the election as I watch

Deputy President William Ruto and a section of the Kenya Kwanza team in Likoni, Mombasa. [Kelvin Karani, Standard]

Deputy President William Ruto now says no one is capable of rigging the August election under his watch.

Ruto who spoke during a tour of Kilifi County on Friday dismissed speculations of rigging the election in favour of Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga.

“I have been deputy president for all these years. Do I look like someone they can steal from? That is a pipe dream,” he warned.

“Do you imagine there is a deep state system that I as DP do not know about?” Ruto posed.

Earlier in the week, ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru said that he doesn’t intend to steal elections for Odinga but to protect his votes.

Mr Mucheru has been on the radar of the Kenya Kwanza Alliance led by DP Ruto and his UDA party who allege that he has been involved in partisan campaigns and should resign.

The ICT CS dismissed the claims that campaigning for Raila amounts to rigging and reminded Ruto that he (Mucheru) supported and campaigned for the duo in 2017 but the DP’s camp did not ask him to resign.

“In 2017, we were campaigning together. Why is it now different yet in 2017 it was okay?” Mucheru asked.