NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 21 — Former President Uhuru Kenyatta accused the State of harassing his family, citing alleged visits by detectives to his son Jomo’s residence in Karen on Friday.
Expressing his frustration during a live television interview on Friday, Kenyatta challenged the authorities to cease targeting his entire family and instead confront him directly.
He challenged President William Ruto’s government to face him directly instead of involving his family.
“If I am the problem, just come for me. My silence doesn’t imply fear. Come directly for me,” Kenyatta declared.
“Why involve my mother or my son in whatever is happening? Is it a crime for me to associate with Raila?” he posed.
Uhuru, Kenya’s fourth President, denounced the current regime’s “cowardly” tactics of intimidation, expressing his disapproval of their actions in targeting his family members, including his mother, Mama Ngina, whose security was withdrawn by the state on July 19, 2023.
“Why all this and intimidate a 90-year-old woman, intimidate children? If it is me you want come and tell us what you want,” he said.
The former President and his successor, Ruto, have been in conflict ever since the former publicly supported opposition leader and Azimio leader, Raila Odinga, as his preferred successor in the 2022 presidential race.
However, in the subsequent polls, Raila lost to President Ruto by a narrow margin of 200,000 votes.
In an unusual display of emotion, Uhuru accordingly expressed that he remains unapologetic for his association with Raila, firmly asserting that it is his right to befriend whomever he chooses.
“Is it now a crime in Kenya for me to simply talk to my friends? I don’t understand,” quipped the former President.
– Azimio Protests –
President Ruto recently made a public statement, accusing his predecessor of funding the opposition with the sole intention of fueling the anti-government protests and destabilizing his administration.
Despite the accusations, Uhuru cautioned President Ruto against using him as a “scapegoat” for his failures, urging him instead to concentrate on fulfilling the promises he made to Kenyans during the campaign.
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