Deputy President William Ruto has yet again defended the hustler tag insisting that he struggled during his early life.
Over the weekend, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho dismissed Ruto's hustler tag, accusing him of 'misusing' the term to gain sympathy from the poor population.
“Stop moving around pretending that you are a hustler while you’re not. How can a hustler live in a mansion costing billions while travelling in more than five choppers?
"Stop confusing Kenyans and the world who know the real hustler is a person who has nothing, can’t afford anything even his daily bread. He wakes up without knowing what he will eat today or tomorrow. That’s the real hustler that we Kenyans know my friend,” said Joho.
A fortnight ago while attending a function in Dagoretti South, Ruto narrated how he used to pay Sh1,750 for rent in the place, moments after he cleared his Zoology and Botany studies at the University of Nairobi.
On Tuesday, the DP also claimed that during his early days, he sold chicken in Turbo, with one going for between Sh12 and Sh14. He insisted that what someone does currently, does not necessarily define his or her future.
"When you hear me talking about hustling, it's not a joke. Around 1978,79 and 80, I used to sell hens for Sh12 to Sh14. I used to do it near a railway line. When I see people selling kales, I know how they feel. It's not an easy job," said Ruto.
As the race for 2022 presidential election hots up, Ruto is driving in the narrative of hustling, a terminology closely associated with low-income earners, insisting that he's the best suited to represent their interests.
However, it has not gone down without challenge especially from opposition. Recently, ODM leader Raila Odinga dismissed the narrative, insisting that everyone has humble beginnings before making it in life.