‘You’ve been abused long enough!’ Oburu defends Ruto amid criticism over public utterances

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Dr. Oburu Oginga has defended President William Ruto over criticism surrounding his recent public remarks against the opposition, dismissing claims that the Head of State’s responses are unpresidential.

Speaking during the Idd-ul-Fitr celebrations at the Kisumu State Lodge on Friday, Oburu said the President had endured sustained attacks for a long time and had only recently begun responding.

He questioned what he termed as double standards in political discourse, arguing the fairness of it being acceptable for the President to be attacked but not to respond.

“Mr. President, I know you have been abused for a long time, and you kept quiet. I didn’t know you were keeping those responses somewhere. Now you have released them, and people are crying,” said Oburu.

“But I don’t understand — when you are being attacked, it is considered normal, even sweet to some. But when you respond, when you release your arsenal, they say it is unpresidential. How can it be unpresidential to defend yourself?”

At the same time, the Siaya Senator backed the government’s development agenda, citing the Infrastructure Fund and expansion of Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) to Kisumu as key pillars for economic growth.

Oburu criticised the previous administration, saying it failed to deliver on similar projects despite attempts to secure financing.

He, however, praised the current administration for what he described as swift action in unlocking stalled projects, particularly the planned extension of the SGR to the lakeside city, and then further down to Malaba.

“This Infrastructure Fund is for the whole of Kenya, and I am sure it is going to do wonders. This Fund, together with the push for electricity, is what is required here,” he said.

“The previous government was defeated. They tried to negotiate loans, they tried to do everything to bring these developments, but they failed because they had no idea what to do."

He added: “But within a very short time, you (Ruto) have found what to do. You have given direction, and that direction is now going to see the railway — the SGR — come to Kisumu, extend to Malaba, and connect us with other countries. That is the way to go to Singapore."

The ODM party leader, known for his popular slogan ‘Tunataka Power’, underscored the importance of being in government for the Nyanza region’s development, urging the people to support Ruto’s government to benefit from development.

“You cannot go to Singapore when you don’t have power, and yet we are sitting here with power. How can I leave that and go looking for shareholders — people who are dividing this country into shareholding?” he posed.

President Ruto and his former deputy Rigathi Gachagua have been escalating the war of words in disregard for calls from the clergy and other stakeholders to tone down personality politics.

On Thursday, President Ruto, who unveiled several projects in Vihiga and Bungoma counties, maintained that opposition leaders have long dragged him into personality politics instead of engaging him on development, adding that he was now ready for them.

Gachagua, who is also the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader, has also been unrelenting in attacks against the President, whom he accuses of manipulating State tenders to favour his cronies.