Raila would have done what I have if he won 2022 polls- Ruto

Ruto said that despite their political differences, he had no regrets over the outcome of the previous election, arguing that Raila would have pursued many of the same priorities had he won.

“I had told people that the outcome of the previous election did not bother me because I knew that if Raila had won, he would have done what I had done. He had the courage and the understanding," he told the Daily Nation in an interview last week.

He pointed to the ODM manifesto, particularly its focus on housing and universal healthcare, as evidence of the similarities in their political outlook.

“If you look at the ODM manifesto, housing was central, and universal health coverage was included. There was not much friction even when we formed the broad-based government because we had shared perspectives in a very fundamental way.”

Ruto argued that he and Raila began their political journeys on opposing sides before coming together to form the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), later parting ways and finding themselves on opposite sides of the political divide.

“Raila Odinga is a phenomenal person, and I had quite some episodes with the former prime minister. We started on different sides, when I was in Kanu, and they were in Ford. We met and forged ODM together. I went out of my way to support him, and he was a great team leader. Then again, we parted ways, and I ran with Uhuru while he ran with Kalonzo, and the results are there," he said. 

Ruto also praised Raila’s response during periods of political and national tension, describing him as a statesman who was willing to step forward in defence of stability and democratic institutions.

“When there were challenges in the country, Raila was a statesman. He stepped forward and said we must stabilise the country, unlike the others, and you don’t want me to tell you who they are.”

He condemned what he termed as attempts to undermine key state institutions, arguing that violence and attacks on institutions could not be equated with democratic participation.

“What was going on was unprecedented. If you want to burn down the country, burn down the Judiciary or Parliament, or invade State House, that is anarchy. That is not the rule of law, and that is not democracy. Raila stood on the right side of history to defend democracy.”