It is secret no more that Deputy President William Samoei Ruto will have an uphill task proving to the electorate that he is a clean man in the build-up up to 2022 general elections.
Despite being a vocal politician, his name has adversely featured in several graft cases, a thing that might spell doom for his presidential ambition.
However, what is even most likely to erode confidence that Kenyans might have been having on him is the fact that he jumped to the defence of Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu in the latest corruption case pitting him.
As a politician who is constitutionally mandated to oversee roles of the central government, DP Ruto erred in defending Waititu even before being investigated and cleared by relevant agencies like the office of the auditor general.
Just as it happened in the Kimwarer and Arror dam scandals, Ruto dragged himself into defending the projects despite the fact that he was not directly involved in the projects.
Going by this alone, DP Ruto is creating an impression that he could be a master of graft in the counties and even beyond. By virtue of his freedom of expression, Ruto should not abuse the right to make prejudged, reckless statements that might later come to haunt him.