[William Ruto and Raila Odinga in a past event. Their bodyguards are said to have clashed in Nairobi. Photo/Nation]
A clash between guards attached to Deputy President William Ruto and those of opposition leader Raila Odinga informed withdrawal of the latter’s security details, reveals an insider in Odinga’s camp.
In what the government termed as routine security change, Odinga had his security details scaled down, a move that did not go down well with the opposition leader.
Similarly, former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka suffered a similar fate in what the opposition called ‘unfair’ exposing its leadership to security threats.
But an insider who spoke in confidence claims that along Ng’ong Road, towards Karen mid last month, guards believed to be those of Ruto started a confrontation that paralyzed traffic along the route.
“Ruto guards confronted those of Odinga on grounds that the Ex – PM should not use siren to beat traffic,” said the source, adding that the confrontation lasted for about an hour.
The source further said: “Both guards threatened each other with guns but none of their masters was in the convoy.”
The bizarre incident is said to have significantly contributed to the withdrawal of the security details as a move to punish those who confronted DP William Ruto’s guards.
However, it is not yet clear why the scuffle could also lead to withdrawal of Musyoka’s guards since he was not party to the confrontation.