PRESIDENT RUTO COMPARED TO COLOMBIAN DRUG LORD

Former Agriculture CS, Mithika Linturi has characterized President Ruto's political tactics as similar to Colombian drug cartel and politician, Pablo Escobar.

Escobar , dubbed as ' King of Cocaine ' , was one of the wealthiest drug criminals in history and was taken out by the US intelligence in Dec, 1993.

Speaking on June, 7, the former CS termed Ruto's politics as oriented in embezzling national funds and issuing handouts, in the name of empowerment — similar to the antics of the drug mogul.

“Ile siasa ambayo Mweshimiwa Ruto anachezea nchi hii, ni siasa ambayo unaeza kusoma kwa kitabu ya mtu aliyekuwa anaitwa Pablo Escobar. Ya kwamba upore inchi alafu unaenda pia ukipeana pesa ndogo ndogo ukisema ni empowerment unafanya, ilhali hayo yote unafanya ni mambo ya ufisadi."

This loosely translates as ; “The politics that Honourable Ruto is playing with this country is the kind you can read about in a book about a man called Pablo Escobar. It’s about plundering the nation and then going around distributing small amounts of money, calling it empowerment, while all of it is just corruption, " the ex-CS said during a political tour in Voi with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka.

Gachagua and Kalonzo also followed suit accusing Ruto's tenure as corrupt, abduction - filled and economically incompetent.
Gachagua also predicted a strong opposition ahead of the 2027 polls, especially from the Central region, which gave the lion share in Ruto's 2022 ballot.

Linturi fell out with Ruto after his ousting from the Agriculture docket, following a fertilizer blunder, and he later on joined the opposition.