By Samuel Ouma
It is getting murkier in the Kenyan ruling party Jubilee following the consistent wrangles between allies of President Uhuru Kenyatta and those of his deputy William Ruto
On Thursday, October 1, Ruto stormed the party’s headquarters at Pangani and held a meeting with 30 MPs a few hours after the President landed in France for a three-day official visit.
His move has elicited severe criticism from his critics who accused him of raid and coup and now call for his removal as the Deputy President.
“Yesterday, the DP turned up at the Party Headquarters with more than 30 MPs many of them known avowed abusers of the President. These are the same fowl mouthed MPs that are on record attacking government programs like the Huduma number,” said the Party’s Secretary-General Raphael Tuju.
“It is disturbing that the Deputy President invites this same retinue to the Party Headquarters to give them a platform to increase polarisation in the Party. Indeed, that move of inviting MPs allied to him almost created an ugly confrontation with close to 40 MPs not allied to him who also wanted to storm the headquarters,” said Tuju.
Ruto said the outfit’s National Management Committee (NMC) recommended in a meeting on Friday that Ruto be ousted as the Deputy President for opening offices of a rival faction known as Jubilee Asili.
“…the NMC has recommended to the NEC that the DP ceases to be Deputy Party Leader after he opened the so-called Jubilee Asili offices that is reserved for him and his allies until such a time that this development of Jubilee Asili is discussed at the NEC,” said the Secretary-General.
The former MP also noted that the committee unanimously agreed to block the second in command from using the headquarters to run his political operations.
“…the Deputy Party Leader as a self-declared Presidential Candidate for 2022 will not be allowed to use the Party headquarters as a centre of operationalisation of his 2022 campaign and to use the centre for intimidation of any potential opponent or Party staff…. It is no longer tenable for the DP to use the Party platform including statements from the Party Headquarters to advance his divisive so-called hustler politics that are counter to the Party and Presidents platform of uniting the country, the fight against corruption and the agenda four items,” said Tuju.
Tuju further faulted the former agriculture minister for snubbing Monday’s Covid-19 Conference.
In rejoinder, Ruto’s allies vowed to continue using the outfit’s offices saying they will not allow the party to be run as a private entity for selfish gain.
“We would keep running it and saying the truth until Kenya is on a progressive lane…you cannot tell us that we cannot meet in that office. It is our money that is funding it. It is also our votes that is keeping you where you are,” Said Senator Kipchumba Murkomen.
