The Wheelbarrow Debate
These are strange times, and it is quite shocking to see a deputy president going against his own government.
The right honorable, former prime minister, Raila Odinga, did not mince his words when he referred to his excellency, the deputy president, William Ruto’s offering of wheelbarrows to the youth as ‘taka taka’ or trash. Raila Odinga has had quite the influence in the government of the day owing to his March 2018 ‘handshake’ with President Uhuru Kenyatta. He has been an insider of the government while at the same time the leader of the opposition.
Raila Odinga is the head of the Orange Democratic Movement, ODM, and has become the de facto second in command in the country’s leadership. As you can imagine, William Ruto is enraged by the closeness of Raila Odinga and Uhuru Kenyatta. As a result, Ruto has also become the de facto leader of the opposition after breaking off from the Jubilee Party and the president with whom he was elected the deputy president of the Republic of Kenya.
Strange Times These
These are strange times, and it is quite shocking to see a deputy president going against his own government. William Ruto has since the handshake been a staunch opposer of the actions and standpoints of the president and his now right-hand man, Raila Odinga. The debacle has become so heated that both Ruto and Raila have had scuffles with the youth where they have been chased away from various public gatherings where stones were thrown at them.
