Nairobi — Deputy President William Ruto has warned the Azimio coalition against forcing leaders on Kenyans, arguing they have a right to choose.

Speaking in Nyamira County on Wednesday, Ruto said that the decision to elect leaders rests with the voters and warned political elites against imposing leaders on Kenyans.

"These people should not disrespect us. You know these people are trying to impose Raila on us," Ruto said in reference to Raila Odinga, the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Presidential candidate who has the support of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Kenyatta fell out with his Deputy in March 2018 when he shook hands with Odinga and has since asked him publicly to resign saying he no longer serves the interests of his government.

Ruto, who led the Kenya Kwanza campaigns in Kisii, asked Kenyans to vote out Odinga pointing out that the opposition chief is "too old" to lead the country.

The Deputy President who is campaigning on a bottom-up economic model adopted by his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, told his supporters that his first priority, if elected will be to address the high unemployment rate in the country.

He said he intends to set aside Sh100 billion for the kitty.

He lamented that many youths in the country were suffering due to lack of jobs despite having qualifications.

Ruto further promised to empower small and medium enterprises if elected to succeed his boss President Kenyatta whose second and final term ends in August.

The second in command further pledged to invest in the agricultural sector by introducing subsidies on agricultural products such as fertilizer in effort to cushion farmers against high operating costs.

But Odinga, who is Ruto's main competitor in the presidential election, dismisses his bottom-up economic model as a "dream that can't be achieved and has equally told Kenyans to reject him.