Museveni dragged into Kenyan elections circus
Uganda President Yoweri Museveni and First Lady Janet, who doubles up as the country’s Minister of Education and Sports have been dragged into Kenya’s general elections debate.
This is after Deputy President William Ruto sensationally claimed some people whom he referred to as the deep state and system had phoned State House, Uganda in a bid to acquire help to bar Johnson Sakaja from contesting for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat.
Sakaja has been cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to contest for the top county seat but is currently battling several petitions touching on his academic qualifications at the Disputes Tribunal.
The petitions include those questioning his academic qualifications and specifically a degree he says he acquired from Teams University in Kampala.
The said degree has since been revoked by the Commission for University Education (CUE).
“I am telling my competitors and my former (political) party Jubilee. Please leave Sakaja alone,” said Ruto at a campaign rally
“Sakaja has gone to school and we have seen his papers. Stop taking him round in circles. The deep state and system are making calls all over the place. They have even called State House in Uganda while looking for means to stop Sakaja from contesting for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat,” claimed Ruto.
Ruto and Museveni enjoy a particularly close relationship that has raised eyebrows in Kenyan political circles.
The bromance led to Ruto being barred by the government from visiting Uganda in August 2021.
Raila Odinga, Ruto’s main challenger in the August 2022 elections was, meanwhile, cleared to visit Uganda in Kampala in May.
Ruto has meanwhile maintained that Sakaja will make it to the ballot and win the gubernatorial contest against Polycarp Igathe.
The DP who boasts a doctorate in Philosophy in Plant Ecology has also challenged Odinga, 78, to make public his academic qualifications.
“Leave Sakaja alone because he has the required certificates. If there is someone with questionable certificates it is your candidate Raila Odinga. I dare you to show us where he went to school, show us his classmates and his teachers. Stop this conmanship. Sakaja has enough papers. I am also telling you to let IEBC do its job. Sakaja will be on the ballot and we will show you the dust.”
The Kenya general elections are set for August 2022.