Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has said President William Ruto will take responsibility in the event ODM Leader Raila Odinga’s entry into the government will cause problems.
Speaking on Sunday, the DP said they will not question Raila or apportion blame to him as he did not invite himself into the government.
“I want to say this, even if Raila comes and becomes a menace to us, we cannot question him because he did not bring himself to government,”he said.
“In the event anything bad happens from Raila coming into government and the people of Mt Kenya are not happy, we will question President William Ruto because he is the one who has brought Raila in.”
Gachagua however said the President explained to him the reason behind his decision to work with Raila saying that it was not aimed at wreaking havoc in government.
The DP said Ruto explained to him that the former Prime Minister was brought in so that the Executive and the Opposition could work together.
“I will believe that because I have not seen any signs that things are going wrong,” Gachagua added.
He acknowledged that Raila has been supporting his ‘one man one shilling one vote’ mantra, adding that it makes him an ally and a good man.
“Any man who supports this mantra is not my enemy and an enemy of the people of Mt Kenya because that is someone who wants the best for us,” he said.
Gachagua noted that former President Uhuru Kenyatta had told the region that Raila was a good man, a point which President Ruto has affirmed.
“Uhuru Kenyatta told us Raila is a good man, President Ruto is saying he is a good man. Ever since I saw and understood this trend, I have not been against him because any man who supports the one man one vote one shilling mantra is not an enemy,” the DP said.
Addressing journalists in June 2024, Raila who had met with the organisers of the Limuru III meeting led by Jeremiah Kioni affirmed his support for the model.
He noted that the model’s essence had been misinterpreted by a large section of Kenya’s population.
“One of the points that was discussed extensively during the deliberations in Limuru is the issue of resource sharing. Somehow this thing has been misrepresented as if it is discriminating parts of our country,” he said.
Raila emphasised that the model would guarantee a fair distribution of resources among all Kenyans, further stressing the importance of embracing the concept.
“We want to ensure that every Kenyan gets a fair share of resources. This is what it is. It cannot be right that some children should get more money as bursaries than other children in other parts of the country,” Raila said.
