Kenya Deputy President and Presidential canditate, William Ruto has insisted that the upcoming August poll will be free and fair.
According to him, Kenya is a democracy with free and fair election, adding that he’s confident he will emerge as victorious in the upcoming elections.
Past elections held at the Eastern African country have often seen allegations of vote-rigging, however, Ruto, known as a sharp strategist, insisted he would respect the outcome of the vote.
Speaking in an interview with AFP, the Presidential aspirant said, “I am very confident that I will win this election.”
Ruto said in an interview at his Nairobi offices, where huge vehicles plastered with his face or the yellow and green colours of his party, the United Democratic Alliance, line the driveway.
“People of Kenya ultimately make their decisions. There is a wrong narrative that elections are manipulated… It is very difficult to steal an election,” the 55-year-old former MP and minister said.
At most, elections can be “influenced”, he accepted, but “we will stand (our ground) and still win against the so-called system”.
Deputy President Ruto was viewed as the perfect replacement for his boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta as the ruling party’s candidate for the top job.
However, Kenyatta’s shocking alliance with his longtime rival Raila Odinga, who is now running against Ruto, has relegated the vice president to the sidelines.
Recent elections have frequently been followed by violent clashes and allegations of rigging. The 2017 poll saw Odinga approach the Supreme Court, which annulled the result and ordered a re-run — a first for Africa.
The disputed 2007 vote was marked by an eruption of politically-motivated ethnic violence, leaving more than 1,100 people dead.
