6 key factors why Kenyans love and hate DP Ruto

The hashtag #ChargeRutoWithMurder recently went viral went and was the top trending topic in Kenya for the better part of Friday.

KOT took to Twitter to vent their anger following an unfortunate incident last week in Kisii County where the Deputy President’s bodyguards were involved in an altercation with the local boda-boda operators and two women were killed in the process.

The aftermath was a night-long orgy of violence, skirmishes and running battles with police in the Kisii Town as businessmen continued to count heavy losses running into millions of shillings as a result of damaged property.

This sort of vitriol aimed towards the DP is not strange as he elicits love and hate in equal measure.

In his Rift Valley backyard, Ruto is seen as a god who took over the mantle from former President Moi at a time when the Kalenjin community felt orphaned upon Mzee Moi’s retirement from power.

Enigma

Here is a quick look as to why the second most powerful man in the country, who has polarised Kenyan politics in the last decade, is such an enigma.

1. For those who love him, Ruto is seen as a hustler and thus appeals more to the common mwananchi.

He is seen as a self-made man who epitomises the maxim “from rags to riches”.

Read Also: Ruto Hosts Fellow Hustler from Umoja At His Office (Photos)

2. Ruto also possesses strong mobility and oratory skills that is unmatched in the current political scene.

He appeals to the masses and knows how to read the mood of the people and sway their emotions in any given situation.

Deeply Religious

3.The DP is known to be strongly religious. He is a devout Christian, regularly attends church services and was a Christian Union Chairman at the University of Nairobi.

It should be noted that he stood firm with religious leaders during the 2010 constitutional referendum advocating for amendments to the draft constitution touching on sensitive religious matters such as abortion.

The group still managed to garner over a million ‘NO’ votes from Kenyans.

4.However on the flip side, Ruto has forever been shrouded in controversy and has been heavily linked to several key scandals.

Most notable have been the Langata Road Primary school land grab, the Maize Scandal, the Hustlers jet scandal, the Kenya Pipeline land grab scandal as well as the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital Scandal.

5. His ability to sway masses is also a factor that was almost his own undoing.

ICC Factor

His strong leadership acumen was associated with violence when he was named as a suspect before the International Criminal Court based at the Hague, Netherlands when he was adversely linked to the 2007-2008 post-election violence.

As the de-facto leader of the Kalenjin who were in Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), he was alleged to have contributed to the murder, deportation and persecution of rival Party of National Unity supporters.

His case was later dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

Power-hungry

6.Ruto is also perceived by his foes to be power-hungry and brutal in his quest for power and will stop at nothing until he fully achieves it as was seen during his fragile time at ODM. 

He was seen to have a sibling rivalry with Musalia Mudavadi at the time and later on with party leader Raila Odinga himself and when he saw he could not ascend to the top hierarchy from within, he jumped ship and formed his own party the United Republican Party.

His dalliance with President Uhuru Kenyatta is seen by many as a strategic move that has only one objective; eventually ascend to the highest office in the land