Deputy President William Ruto has faced backlash following a personal attack on Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu.
Ruto while on a campaign trail in the lower Eastern region, appeared to question whether Ngilu, who is a widow, could get married at her advanced age.
“Where is Ngilu? Did she go to Bondo? Did you deny her votes? A woman (her age) cannot get married. Who will marry her?” posed Mr Ruto, as the crowd shouted cheering him on.
Instead, the DP asked voters in Kitui County to support former Nairobi Deputy Governor Mr Jonathan Mueke for the Kitui seat. Mueke is vying for the seat on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.
The sentiments made by the DP did not anchor well with Governor Ngilu who in a rejoinder said that women are going to play a key role in ensuring that Azimio Presidential candidate Raila Odinga wins the presidential elections on August 9.
According to the 70-year-old governor, anyone who could not respect women then did not deserve a leadership position as they could not respect anyone else.
“If you cannot respect women, you cannot respect anybody else. Because it is from women that you come. William Samoei Ruto you can insult women all you want. But in this election, women will make a major statement,” she said.
Governor Ngilu agreed to step down from the Kitui governorship race after Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga brokered a deal with Wiper over the candidature of Mr Julius Malombe.
Mr Odinga then assured Kitui residents that he will be crisscrossing the country in the company of Ms Ngilu and he will award her with an appointment once he is voted as president.
