Ruto protests arrest of his Turkish friend, accuses state of targeting investors » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 7 -Deputy President William Ruto is a bitter man and is nolonger mincing his words. Not anymore after state officials blocked him from flying out the country for a ‘private visit’ to Uganda in which he was to accompany a Turkish investor he helped acquire a Sh15 billion loan from Equity bank.

While Ruto was blocked from traveling on Monday, his Turkish friend Harun Aydin and legislators who were on his entourage were allowed to travel.

But when Turkish flew back to Kenya on Saturday, he was arrested and detained by immigration officials who handed him to Anti Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) detectives.

“The Turkish is being detained for questioning on criminal activities,” a senior police officer told Capital FM News on telephone.

Capital FM News also established that security and immigration officials were keen to establish the entries and exits to Kenya by the Turkish.

“They are analysing his passport to establish if he has been coming in legally and exiting legally among other issues,” the police source said. The Turkish was being questioned by Anti Terrorism Police Unit (ATPU) officers.

Ruto protested the arrest on his official Twitter page, and accused the government of ‘targeting investors.’

Turkish investor,Aydin Harun, is a victim of top-down arrogance bred by patronage & cartels that criminalise enterprise.Importers’ goods declared contraband,Africa spirits closed, keroche harassed, now investor with valid papers labelled terrorist.Tragedy of political pettiness. pic.twitter.com/PSXdGcFXlK

— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) August 7, 2021

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Laywer Cliff Ombeta too protested the arrest of his client, saying “his constitutional right has been violated. Aydin has not committed any crime.”

Aydin was listed as part of the entourage of DP Ruto to Uganda on Monday when the second in command was blocked from traveling for lack of clearance from his boss President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Ruto has protested the decision to stop him from traveling, accusing the Interior Ministry of orchestrating his frustrations despite his position in government insisting he requires no clearance to travel anywhere.

“I have been a Deputy President for 9 years and I have traveled to many places,” he said, “I have never been asked to produce clearance.”

But Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho has denied the claims, saying his ministry was not involved in stopping Ruto, but confirmed that the DP requires clearance to travel.

On the day Ruto was blocked, he was scheduled to travel alongside the Turkish, Eric Ruto, David Langat, Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, Kinango MP, Benjamin Tayari and Elijah Rono. All were allowed to travel.

Ruto has defended the Turkish businessman saying he holds a clean record and has since confirmed that he helped him acquire a Sh15 billion loan from Equity bank to set up a business venture in Uganda.

DP William Ruto and Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni during a visit there in July 2021. Ruto was blocked from travellibng to Uganda in August 2021.

On the day Ruto was blocked, he made a telephone call to the Head of Public Service who is reported to have informed him that he was not aware of the instructions to the airport to stop him.

Nonetheless, immigration officials did not allow him to travel and he eventually retreated and went back home after spending 5 hours at the airport in what is seen as an escalation of his differences with President Uhuru Kenyatta with whom they fell out soon after the March 2018 handshake with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

In an interview on Inooro radio and TV on Wednesday morning, Ruto blamed a section of influential state officials for orchestrating imagined war between him and the president.

“They are pushing me for a confrontation with the president but I will not succumb to it,” he said.

State House has not commented on the matter.

Ruto’s recent visits to Uganda have come under sharp focus lately, with leaders allied to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga questioning his association with President Yoweri Museveni.