Journalists covering an event by trade unionist Francis Atwoli were on Monday taken aback after he tossed away his smartphone while commenting on former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa fake arms deal case.
The Central Organisation Trade Union (COTU) Secretary-General was giving his two cents in the case that has attracted public interest over the alleged role of the office of Deputy President in the Ksh39 billion scam.
He wondered how the DP could tell Kenyans that he was unaware of the meeting between Echesa and two foreigners who visited the Harambee House Annex office, in the era of smartphones.
The fierce critic of Ruto insisted that instead of the DP being defensive he should record a statement on what he knows.
“He should be arrested. Who is he fooling? He is a Kenyan. He is not above the law, ” said Atwoli.
Atwoli got emotional and smashed his phone on the floor amid laughter from his colleagues.
“We are on roaming telephones, the Deputy President wants to tell us that one Echesa na wale wazungu kwa ofisi yake 1 hour and 22 minutes hakuna mtu alimpigia simu kumwambia kuna wazungu kwa ofisi yako and that is the second-highest office in the land, iyo ni mambo ya wajinga, washenzi, ” he said angrily.
COTU boss Francis Atwoli in phone drama over DP William Ruto. pic.twitter.com/LmhPxLsViS
— Nairobi News (@Nairobi_News) March 9, 2020
Read: DP Ruto and Wife Rachael’s Absence During Beyond Zero Half Marathon Leaves Kenyans Speculating
This is, however, not the first time the fierce critic of the DP is being dramatic on camera.
In October last year, the flamboyant Luhya leader shocked Kenyans when he smashed his phone worth Ksh 170,000 during a JK Live interview on Citizen TV.
An unidentified caller had attempted to call him while on air forcing him to throw the phone away.
Echesa case
The Echesa and his accomplices’ case took a new twist after an officer, Sergeant Kipyegon Kenei, was found dead in his house at Imara Daima Estate, Nairobi, last month with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) linking Ruto’s office to his death.
The DCI had accused Ruto’s aides of editing CCTV footages at Harambee house to falsely imply that Echesa and his accomplices were in the office for 23 minutes instead of 1 hour 22 minutes.
Kenei was the officer in charge of security at the DP’s office the day Echesa and three others, who are facing fraud charges, arrived with foreigners said to have been duped in the fake tender.
Read Also: Who Wants DP William Ruto Dead? The Indicators So Far
Speaking on Saturday during the burial ceremony of Kenei, angry Ruto lashed out at the DCI boss George Kinoti of being used by the “system” to mud-sling his office.
In his speech, Ruto accused his political opponents both in and out of government of a ploy to set him up against his community by killing Kenei, a Kalenjin.
“The plotters of these schemes, I want to let you know that unless you kill me, I am not turning back. Kenya is for everyone. Kenya is not for a few people. Threats, plots… all these things… I even know what they have planned but I am ready for it,” he said.
After the burial, the DP tweeted, “They may have the system, and since the system cannot elect anybody, they can only kill but I want to tell them we have God. Those in this scheme are boasting that I will not be there soon and they are still walking around.”
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