NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 4- Deputy President William Ruto has raised alarm over an alleged plan to sabotage next week’s general elections allegedly being orchestrated by senior government officials in collaboration with administrators.
The Kenya Kwanza flag bearer has named senior administrators said to be part of the alleged scheme.
He also named two vernacular journalists for allegedly being used to create a violent narrative and more so in the Rift Valley region.
He claimed President Uhuru Kenyatta was aware of the said plans.
“The president of Kenya is aware and we are asking him in his constitutional duty to ensure that the country is safe and to stop these people from planning the evil they are planning,” Ruto stated.
He accused Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Maalim Mohammed, County Commissioners Samson Ojwang (Trans Nzoia), Steven Kihara (Uasin Gishu), and Erastus Mbui (Nakuru) of being used to cause mayhem in parts of Rift Valley.
Already, Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai has since deployed dozens of General Service Unit officers in Eldoret, Molo, and Kuresoi areas.
This is after leaflets warning communities from other areas emerged.
The Deputy President has however accused authorities of being behind the leaflets.
Some 8 students from Moi University were arrested over the leaflets and are being held by the police pending the conclusion of the ongoing investigations, ahead of arraignment.
He urged the President to restrain senior government officials based at the Office of the President from coercing chiefs and their assistants to interfere with the polls.
“Chiefs and County commissioners are being forced with threats and blackmail of losing of their jobs if they don’t become Azimio operatives,” said Ruto.
Ruto will be facing his main rival and President Kenyatta’s preferred successor Raila Odinga of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance.
On Tuesday, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi described the claims by Deputy President and his allies that the chiefs were being used by the State to bungle the elections as “ridiculous”.
The Interior Cabinet Secretary who has openly backed Odinga and joined him on the campaign trail said his meetings with grass root administration officials were simply because “they are colleagues”.
“We meet chiefs all the time, that is the job we do, that is who we are supposed to work with,” he said.
The Deputy President however said, “These two gentlemen (Matiangi and PS Karanja Kibicho) must know their shortage of fools in Kenya. Whatever they are telling these chiefs, the chiefs are telling everybody else.”
He added that “the chiefs are complaining they are being forced to sabotage election through bribery,” the UDA flag bearer stated.
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