HYPOCRISY: Uhuru ACCUSES his own MEDIA of TERRORIZING William Ruto

President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday turned his anger on Kenya’s print media and accused it for deliberately fanning the rivalry between his deputy William Ruto and Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto.

For the second time since his election two years ago, an agitated president Kenyatta attempted to rubbish Kenya’s media with his claims that newspapers are only good enough for wrapping meat in butcheries, as he appealed to United Republican Party ( URP) leaders in the South Rift region to back the DP.

“Nitarudia kusema kila siku kwamba gazeti ni ya kufunga nyama (I will repeat what I said before that newspapers are meant for wrapping meat),” he said.

Uhuru alleged that the media was fueling the crisis in the Jubilee government through consistent reporting on the wrangles between the coalition’s leaders in URP.

The President said the supremacy war pitting his deputy against a section of leaders in the South Rift led by the Bomet governor was unnecessary and disruptive to the ruling Jubilee coalition. The vicious political row in the region that has sucked in Members of Parliament, senators and members of the Bomet County Assembly.

President Kenyatta called for respect among the region’s leaders and said he had confidence in his deputy. “As leaders elected in one coalition, we must work together in unity and avoid unnecessary quarrels. We cannot fulfill the promises we made to the people who elected us if we continue with the quarrels,” said President Kenyatta at a meeting in Bomet County.

He said the wrangles in URP were undermining the Jubilee government’s development agenda and must end to allow the coalition implement its manifesto. “I agree that there are differences of opinion, but that must not be allowed to divide us.

Let us respect each other as leaders because were elected on the same manifesto,” said the president. An agitated Uhuru called on the leaders from the region to engage each other in private instead of washing their dirty linen in public. Confrontational politics

The President at the same time faulted some governors who have refused to receive hospital equipment donated by his government to the counties. He appealed to them to allow the national government build the hospitals, which would be handed over to the county governments to manage. “My government has put in place relevant laws that will see devolution succeed.

I appeal to the governors to receive these facilities because it will improve the lives of our people.” He said On the eviction of people from the Mau Forest that saw politicians from the region criticise the Government over the move, the President defended his government but promised the evictees that they would be resettled. “We will treat everybody with respect and there will be no more burning of houses.

The two levels of government have come up with a clear cut line and tea will be planted to act as a buffer zone to deter future encroachment,” said the President

Uhuru was in Bomet to raise funds for the African Gospel Church after a Sunday service at the Bomet Green Stadium. The meeting brought together leaders from the South Rift region including governors Ruto, Paul Chepkwony (Kericho), Samuel Tunai (Narok), senators Charles Keter (Kericho) and Wilfred Lesan and some 32 MPs from the ruling coalition.