Ruto confronts hecklers at Meru rally
President William Ruto on January 26, 2024 was confronted by a group of hecklers at a public rally.
While on a tour of Meru County, the President was forced to warn the hecklers who appeared keen to interupt his speech.
The Head of State instead emphasised the need for respect, urging the crowd to acknowledge his role and position as the President.
“I am here to create jobs for you, why are you heckling? Siasa hii ya makelele sitaki. Siasa ya kelele ni siasa mbaya. Sitaki mambo ya kupiga kelele kwa mkutano (I do not want this kind of politics. Politics full of heckling is a wrong one. I do not want heckling in my rally). We are here to bring development in Meru. We do not want this kind of nonsense.”
“Kwa mkutano wa rais sitaki kelele. Mnipee heshima. Nataka muonyeshe heshima kwa viongozi. Tabia hii ya kelele ni mambo ya ODM. Sitaki tabia kama hii. Hii tabia ya kelele iishe leo (I do not want such behavior in president’s rally. You have to respect all leaders. Its ODM that is known to be this rowdy and we do not want heckling in our rally),” Ruto stated with a very angry voice.
The incident came hours after the President’s affordable housing plan suffered a major blow after the Court of Appeal declined to extend an order allowing the government to continue collecting the housing levy from salaried Kenyans.
A bench of three judges on Friday morning ruled that public interest tilts in favour of not granting the order sought by the government.
“Public interest, in our view, tilts favour of in not granting the stay or the suspension sought. Public interest tilts in favour of awaiting the determination of the issues raised in the intended appeals,” Justices Lydia Achode, John Mativo and Mwaniki Gachoka said.
The Kenya Kwanza government has drawn criticism from diverse quarters due to its decision to raise taxes, eliciting concerns and discontent from different segments of the population.
Besides, the courts have also put brakes on a move by the government to send policemen to Haiti on a peace keeping mission.
Ruto is on the spot mainly over the high cost of living in the country, mainly influenced by the higher taxes imposed by his regime and the depreciation of the shilling.
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