Why Ruto has picked on Sifuna in his direct responses and frequent public clashes

Ruto’s apparent focus on Sifuna has opened a new front in the contest over who gets to shape the national political conversation.

From labelling Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna “Mr Shiny Things”, “Mr Empty” and “Mr 40” to calling him an extortionist and a puppet of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, President William Ruto seems to have settled on Sifuna as his political punching bag. .spw-fade-overlay { position: absolute; top: -80px; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 70px; z-index: 1; background: linear-gradient(to bottom, rgba(255, 255, 255, 0), rgba(255, 255, 255, 1)); pointer-events: none; } .spw-wrap { position: relative; max-width: 100%; margin: 0 auto; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; } /* Three-colour top bar */ .spw-top-rule { display: flex; height: 4px; } .spw-top-rule .spw-r1 { background: #CC0000; flex: 3; } .spw-top-rule .spw-r2 { background: #C9A84C; flex: 1; } .spw-top-rule .spw-r3 { background: #0D0D0D; flex: 6; } .spw-card { background: #F9F5F0; padding: 2.2rem 2.4rem 1.8rem; position: relative; overflow: hidden; border-left: 4px solid #CC0000; box-shadow: 0 4px 30px rgba(0, 0, 0, .10), 0 1px 0 #C9A84C; 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font-family: Georgia, serif; min-height: 1.5em; transition: opacity .4s ease; } /* Flash sale block */ .spw-flash { background: #0D0D0D; color: #fff; border-radius: 4px; padding: 1rem 1.2rem; margin-bottom: 1.3rem; text-align: center; } .spw-flash-title { font-size: .95rem; font-weight: 700; color: #C9A84C; margin-bottom: .6rem; letter-spacing: .03em; font-family: Georgia, serif; } .spw-flash p { font-size: .75rem !important; color: #aaa !important; margin-bottom: .8rem !important; font-family: Georgia, serif !important; font-weight: 400 !important; line-height: 1.4 !important; } .spw-countdown { display: flex; gap: .55rem; justify-content: center; } .spw-cd-unit { background: rgba(255, 255, 255, .08); border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, .12); border-radius: 4px; padding: .45rem .75rem; min-width: 50px; } .spw-cd-num { display: block; font-size: 1.25rem; font-weight: 900; color: #C9A84C; font-family: Georgia, serif; } .spw-cd-lbl { display: block; font-size: .55rem; color: #aaa; letter-spacing: .08em; text-transform: uppercase; margin-top: 2px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; } /* CTA button */ .spw-btn { display: block !important; width: 100% !important; background: #CC0000 !important; color: #fff !important; font-family: Arial, sans-serif !important; font-size: .9rem !important; font-weight: 700 !important; letter-spacing: .08em !important; text-transform: uppercase !important; padding: .9rem 1.5rem !important; border: none !important; border-bottom: none !important; cursor: pointer !important; text-decoration: none !important; text-align: center !important; transition: background .2s ease, transform .15s ease, box-shadow .2s ease !important; box-shadow: 0 4px 18px rgba(204, 0, 0, .32) !important; position: relative; overflow: hidden; margin-bottom: 1.4rem !important; border-radius: 0 !important; } .spw-btn { text-decoration: none !important; } .spw-btn::before { content: ''; position: absolute; inset: 0; background: linear-gradient(135deg, rgba(255, 255, 255, .12) 0%, transparent 55%); pointer-events: none; } .spw-btn:hover, .spw-btn:focus, .spw-btn:visited, .spw-btn:active { background: #A00000 !important; color: #fff !important; text-decoration: none !important; border-bottom: none !important; transform: translateY(-1px); box-shadow: 0 6px 24px rgba(204, 0, 0, .42) !important; outline: none; } /* Section divider */ .spw-divider { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: .6rem; margin-bottom: 1.1rem; } .spw-divider::before, .spw-divider::after { content: ''; flex: 1; height: 1px; background: #e0d9d0; } .spw-divider span { font-size: .6rem; color: #bbb; letter-spacing: .14em; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; } /* Features grid */ .spw-features { list-style: none !important; padding: 0 !important; margin: 0 0 1.4rem !important; display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1fr 1fr; gap: .5rem .8rem; } @media (max-width: 480px) { .spw-features { grid-template-columns: 1fr !important; } .spw-card { padding: 1.5rem 1.2rem 1.4rem !important; } } .spw-features li { font-size: .83rem !important; color: #2C2C2C !important; padding-left: 1.3rem !important; position: relative !important; line-height: 1.45 !important; font-family: Georgia, serif !important; list-style-type: none !important; } .spw-features li::before { content: '' !important; position: absolute !important; left: 0 !important; top: .38rem !important; width: 7px !important; height: 7px !important; border-radius: 50% !important; background: #CC0000 !important; font-weight: normal !important; } /* Payment logos */ .spw-payment-row { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: .45rem; flex-wrap: wrap; padding-top: .9rem; border-top: 1px solid #e0d9d0; margin-bottom: .65rem; } .spw-pay-label { font-size: .58rem; color: #aaa; letter-spacing: .14em; text-transform: uppercase; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; margin-right: .2rem; white-space: nowrap; } .spw-pay-badge { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center; height: 22px; padding: 0 .45rem; border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid #e0d7ce; background: #fff; box-shadow: 0 1px 3px rgba(0, 0, 0, .05); } .spw-mpesa-m { color: #39b74a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: .68rem; font-weight: 900; } .spw-mpesa-dash { color: #db3939; } .spw-mpesa-p { color: #39b74a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: .68rem; font-weight: 900; } .spw-visa-t { font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: .8rem; font-weight: 900; font-style: italic; color: #1a1f71; } .spw-mc-wrap { position: relative; width: 26px; height: 15px; } .spw-mc-l { width: 15px; height: 15px; border-radius: 50%; background: #eb001b; position: absolute; left: 0; top: 0; } .spw-mc-r { width: 15px; height: 15px; border-radius: 50%; background: #f79e1b; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; mix-blend-mode: multiply; } .spw-airtel-a { color: #ec2427; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: .62rem; font-weight: 800; } .spw-airtel-m { color: #dd3436; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: .62rem; font-weight: 600; } /* Trust strip */ .spw-trust { display: flex; align-items: center; 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}

Source: Standard