When President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga unified through the handshake, Deputy President William Ruto maintained a calm composure, keeping Kenyans guessing what his opinion on the surprise political unity was.
When the two leaders, thereafter, launched the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), whose possible outcome is like an egg thrown at Ruto’s political career, he still held on to his poker face, leaving his die-hards to politick on his behalf.
Odinga, however, managing to overpower Ruto in the Kibra by-election, seems to have finally gotten the DP ticking, if his latest rants on social media are anything to go by.
After his candidate, MacDonald Mariga, under the Jubilee Party umbrella lost to Odinga’s Imran Okoth in the Kibra poll, the 2022 presidential aspirant now appears to have shifted strategies, tackling Odinga on a personal basis.
Responding to the moderate violence that erupted during the Kibra mini-poll, Ruto threw his previously exercised caution, of not mentioning names directly, to the wind and castigated Odinga publicly, questioning his commitment to the spirit of the handshake.
President Kenyatta & I decided that PEV that had become synonymous with elections since 1992 MUST come to an END and it did.Tinga MUST bring Odm's primitive & retrogresive signature culture of violence/ chaos to an END& disband baba's militia to show their commitment to handshake
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) November 10, 2019
The Nov. 10 tweet, however, did not seem to relieve the DP of his anger.
The following day, Ruto once again poked holes into the logic of the BBI, which was meant to bring to an end political violence, yet the same continues to prevail in ODM affiliated regions.
Tinga,that we discuss BBI, meant to sort out election violence when you have not only refused to renounce terror but continue to brazenly celebrate & perpetuate it, is to take kenyans for fools! My friend,kuna upungufu mkubwa wa wajinga.When will you RENOUNCE violence PUBLICLY??
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) November 10, 2019
But Ruto did not stop there.
On Nov. 13, the Deputy Head of State continued expressing his frustration over Odinga’s invasion into Jubilee in the name of BBI, noting that it was not the first time the former Prime Minister broke political unions apart.
Tinga/his party's trail of political conmanship/deceit from Kanu thro' Cord to Nasa&now heading to Jubilee;and litany of violence from 82'coup to kibra cannot be hidden behind BBI. As a Minimum must 1) PUBLICLY renounce violence as a political tool.2)UNDERTAKE to accept defeat.
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) November 13, 2019
Later, a frustrated Ruto went as far as borrowing deported Miguna Miguna’s terminologies to describe Odinga, who through BBI politics, managed to demote him into a third-wheeler in regard to Uhuru’s political plans.
Waheshimiwa, the real SABOTEUR is your master the people's conman who uses deceit to divide/destroy parties even UHURU's Jubilee;the master of chaos who factors violence in election equations;the one who never accepts defeat. We'll stand with UHURU&Jubilee against such dictators. pic.twitter.com/H8D0rv6IQy
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) November 14, 2019
Social media is not the only avenue the DP has used to demean BBI efforts, although it is the platform on which he is carefree enough to mention names.
In September, a fed-up Ruto mocked Odinga, for using cunning tactics to get back into power, urging him to outrightly tell Kenyans that he wants a Constitution change, instead of taking them round in circles in the name of BBI.