Deputy President William Samoei Ruto accepted the nomination to be United Democratic Alliance flag bearer in the upcoming presidential election.
Speaking to a packed Kasarani gymnasium, Ruto accepted the nomination saying UDA was the party of the people, where nobody would everybody is welcome, and nobody has priority because of who their father is.
In a well-organized and choreographed event, Ruto, a great orator, inspired his supporters, drawing similarities to himself getting started in politics.
“For me, this moment has been long in coming. I have been engaged in political leadership and associated activities since my university,” Ruto said. “I rose from the party pyramid, working my way up, until I entered party leadership, and eventually I became a member of the national assembly at the age of 31. I was an assistant minister at the age of 33 and a cabinet minister at the age of 36, and an opposition MP at the age of 37.”
Ruto said he had learned a lot throughout his political career, working in the government as an opposition politician.
“I have learned that leadership failures can cost the country tremendous opportunity and inflict irreparable harm on those many people who depend on us,” Ruto said. “I have learned the biggest mistake a government or a party can make is to fail the inclusion test.”
“We in the Hustler Nation, believe the measure of any society, lies in the way it treats the weakest in the society. We work from the bottom up because if we take care of the bottom, we take care of everybody.” -Deputy President William Samoie Ruto.
He recounted the times he sought the presidency but failed, resulting in supporting the candidates chosen by his party. In 2007, Ruto supported former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on his 2nd attempt at the presidency.
But chaos broke out after the electoral commission declared former President Mwai Kibaki the victor in what Odinga and Ruto’s supporters viewed as a stolen election.
The ghost of the post-election violence has since dogged Ruto, even after he was acquitted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in the Hague, Netherlands.
In front of an audience of thousands of his supporters primarily dressed in UDA yellow and green colors and his family, Ruto accepted the nomination and promised to do his best.
Despite their frosty relationship, Ruto thanked President Uhuru Kenyatta for making him the first Deputy President in Kenya’s history, a position he described as the “honor of my life.” He took credit for all the gains made under the Jubilee administration such as the new railway network in Kenya and tarmacked roads across Kenya.
In a veiled attack against Kenyatta’s administration, Ruto said things changed after the 2017 election. He said the Jubillee party backpedaled on its agenda and defaulted to parochial and tribal politics that reversed the gains made in the first term.
“I accept this nomination with humility and commit that I will do my best to make sure that I don’t let you down. And that I actualize the aspirations of each and every one of you and make your dreams come true,” Ruto said.
Ruto is running as the champion of the poor and as a change candidate.
“We in the Hustler Nation, believe the measure of any society, lies in the way it treats the weakest in the society,” Ruto said. “We work from the bottom up because if we take care of the bottom, we take care of everybody. It’s not bottom versus up, it’s bottom-up.”
If he wins, Ruto will be the 5th President of the Republic of Kenya.
Kenya’s general election is scheduled to occur on Aug 9, 2022.
Listen to the full speech here from the Nation Media YouTube Channel