Deputy President William Ruto on Wednesday caused drama at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after he confronted Interior PS Karanja Kibicho – accusing him of sabotaging his 2022 presidential campaign.
The People Daily quoted its sources indicating that a visibly angered Ruto did not waste chances after spotting Kibicho in the delegation that was to receive President Kenyatta.
He is said to have hurriedly walked to the PS and went on a 15-minute tirade as other members of the delegation watched in silence.
Among those present were Chief of Defense Forces Samson Mwathethe, senior military officials, and Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai.
Kieni MP Kanini Kega is reported to have been around and was said to have walked away from the scene of confrontation.
Kibicho, perhaps in shock or out of respect for the DP, reportedly did not answer back to the DP.
The Interior PS has recently clashed with Ruto after senior administration officials boycotted the DP’s events.
In one incident, Kibicho said county commissioners and the county security teams failed to attend the deputy president’s event in Nyeri because they received invitation at the last minute.
He later told the DP that “security starts with you” comments that did not augur well with the Ruto camp.
When the deputy president visited the volatile Turkana county over the weekend, the county commissioner and the senior security apparatus boycotted the event – allegedly on the instructions of the Interior Ps.
Ruto has in the past been described by associates as one who confronts his perceived enemies head on and will stop at nothing when crossed.
Former MP Reuben Chesire who faced Ruto in the 1997 and 2002 parliamentary elections claimed that the current DP had beaten him up by punching him during a tense meeting at State House.
The DP’s mentor, Cyrus Jirongo, in 2016 accused the Ruto of murdering a young man in cold blood during a violent rally in 1998.