President Wiliam Ruto on Sunday, April 23, had the congregation at Friends Quakers Sanctuary in stitches when he recalled the moment he was ridiculed by a former Cabinet Secretary while serving as Deputy President.
The Head of State, who presided over the opening of the new church in Donholm, Nairobi, said he was glad to learn that the head of the church is called a ‘Presiding Clerk’, a tag he was given by former Environment CS Keriako Tobiko at the height of his fallout with President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2020.
Ruto also said he felt comfortable in the church because he had something in common with the founder of the church, who he described as a “hustler” due to his humble beginnings.
“Nimefurahi sana kufika hapa na niliuliza ndugu yangu Musalia (Musalia Mudavadi) historia ya kanisa ya Quakers akaniambia ilianzishwa kule Marekani na hustler mmoja — mtu wa chini. Aliniambai ni mtu tu alikuwa reja reja kama mimi hivi ndiye alianzisha hili kanisa.
“Ingawaje sina uhusiano na kanisa hii kama mfuasi lakini uhusiano wangu na kanisa hili ni kwamba nimegundua kiongozi was kanisa anaitwa presiding clerk na mimi vile vile nilipatiwa jina hilo hilo la clerk na jamaa mwingine siku ingine. Ile tu alikosea hakunipatia presiding lakini mungu naye ametimiza huyu ni presiding clerk wa kanisa na mimi ni presiding clerk wa Kenya,” Ruto said eliciting peals of laughter from the crowd.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who was present, is a member of the Quakers church.
Clerk
Tobiko called Ruto a clerk in the run-up to the hotly contested 2022 August polls.
He claimed the then-deputy president was disrespecting President Uhuru with early campaigns.
“The deputy president should be the clerk of the president,” said Tobiko adding that “and the way I respect the President as his clerk, even the deputy president and Murkomen should respect the President.
Tobiko was reacting to a tweet by former Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen in which the legislator referred to Tobiko as a mere clerk who needed to respect the DP.
“Mr. Tobiko you are a mere clerk in Jubilee government. You forget so fast that you became a CS because the President was trying to get rid of you from the office of DPP. You have no moral authority to lecture your boss the DP even if he is being molested by his boss. First, try to be MCA,” Murkomen tweeted.
