William Ruto explains why he has not been seen in public with President Uhuru Kenyatta

William Ruto explains why he has not been seen in public with Uhuru

Tony Mukere

April 9, 2020 12:02 PM

DP says coronavirus has changed how government operates

William Ruto explains why he has not been seen in public with Uhuru

Deputy President William Ruto on Thursday explained why he had not been seen alongside President Uhuru Kenyatta and Cabinet Secretaries while giving updates on the coronavirus pandemic.

Ruto said the coronavirus pandemic had changed government operations with most of the meetings being done electronically through virtual technology.

He added that as a safety measure, the President and the DP would avoid travelling together or being together - presumably to avoid a situation where both contracted the disease or were both incapacitated.

Ruto said he had been in frequent communication with President Kenyatta adding that the head of state had taken personal charge of the government's response to Covid19 crisis.

"The coronavirus crisis has changed the way government operates in a substantial way. For your information, most of the meetings between CSs, the PSs, and the President are now done electronically as part of enforcing social distancing."

"I have been in frequent communication with the President but you may want to check why in these difficult times it is not advisable for the President and the DP to travel together or be in the same physical location," Ruto stated.

According to the Constitution, the Deputy President takes charge in the event that the President becomes incapacitated.

If the two are both predisposed, the National Assembly Speaker would take charge of the government awaiting a by-election.

The DP addressed the country from his Karen residence where he reiterated the measures the government had taken to protect Kenyans from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ruto had been missing from the public limelight for the past three weeks when the government announced a ban on public meetings to prevent spread of the disease.