A day after the Ministry of Interior revealed his sprawling estate across the country, which is secured by a contingent of 257 police personnel, Deputy President William Ruto has broken his silence.
The Deputy President, who was meeting with Nakuru County leaders at his Karen home, trashed CS Fred Matiangi’s submission before the National Assembly, describing the disclosures as a much-needed lifestyle audit.
“Ile kitu kubwa walikuwa wananiuliza ati lifestyle audit sasa wamefanya wenyewe, bila hata ya sheria,” the DP told the delegation of leaders on Thursday.
According to DP Ruto, the latest audit appears to be a step forward from an earlier assessment into his lifestyle, which was widely publicized by Kenyan newspapers.
The new audit, according to him, however, is only about 70 percent correct.
The second-in-command began by pointing out flaws in the audit, claiming that he does not own the 6,073-hectare ADC ranch in Laikipia, for example.
“Kama ile walisema ati niko na 10,000 hectares huko ADC, mimi sina, hiyo watoe,” the DP told the delegation.
The DP, who had been scrutinized about his security detail, claimed that the audit cleared him of several other questionable properties that had previously been linked to him.
“Wameondoa Boulevard sababu ilikuwa uongo, wametoa Six-eighty pia, lakini pia wameongeza ingine kidogo ambayo sio yangu, lakini nitawasaidia,” the DP added.
The 2022-presidential candidate also noted that the Interior Ministry appears to have missed out critical facts when tabling his property list.
“Walisahau kuweka pia shares, niko na shares 400,000 ya Safaricom wangeweka pia hiyo, na pia wangeweka kama kuna askari wanalinda huko pia,” the DP added.
He further criticized the revelations, claiming that the documentation appears to have left out key details such as the fact that his poultry farm has 200,000 chicken and generates Ksh.1.5 million in daily egg sales.
“Wangesema pia huyu mtu anauza mayai 150,000 everyday, shillingi 1.5 million, wangeweka namna hiyo, wangemalizia pia na kuenda kwa bank waangalie iko pesa ngapi na pia iko loan kiasi gani,” the DP said.
The lifestyle audit, according to DP Ruto, should not have concluded with him and should have been extended to others.
His rebuttal comes a day after the Ministry of Interior scoffed at claims that his security had been withdrawn.
Interior Ministry boss CS Matiang’i who spoke before parliament on Wednesday, disclosed the DP’s security detail, claiming that the second-in-command and his estate are protected by a 24-hour security of 257 police officers, the most of any deputy president in Kenya’s history.
According to CS Matiangi, some of the officers were assigned to secure the DP’s sprawling estate, which includes a five-helicopter hangar, 22,000 acres of land, private mansions, and other properties across the country.
