Confusion as Uhuru retracts statement on pact with URP

By Vincent Mabatuk and Vitalis Kimutai

Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday withdrew an announcement stating that he had a pre-election deal with Eldoret North MP William Ruto three hours after releasing it because the United Republic Party’s team protested he acted singly and prematurely.

Confusion reigned within the two camps after Uhuru’s categorical statement, with the URP side reported as seething with anger that Uhuru had scorned and ignored them by acting unilaterally.

Ruto, insiders said, was furious with the manner in which the announcement was made when he was away in Nakuru meeting Kalenjin elders. “An enraged Ruto personally called Uhuru to find out what was happening and who had authorised the release of the statement without his input or knowledge,” one of his aides told The Standard on Tuesday.

Ruto made the call to Uhuru while on his way to Nairobi after the meeting with the elders in Rongai Constituency.

“Apparently, there had not been proper consultations before the announcement was made and Ruto had not been informed of its impending release,” said an MP who was with the Eldoret North MP.

The release and recall of the statement which had been signed by Uhuru’s spokesman, Mr Munyori Buku, has revealed the muted suspicions in the coalition.

Dujis MP Aden Duale, who is Ruto’s party’s spokesman and Chepalungu MP Isaac Ruto said that one side of the alliance could not purport to issue a statement on behalf of the other party in the coalition.

“The only acceptable statement on the state of the coalition talks is one that will be signed by the two Principals (Uhuru-Ruto) and not by spin doctors.

The one that went out on Tuesdaywas in bad taste,” Duale declared. Duale said the talks were still on and the two parties would be taking the message to the people on Sunday before the deal is signed.

“There is no deal unless it has been ratified by top decision-making organs of TNA and URP,” the Chepalungu MP said in a statement.

He said that once the legal experts involved in the negotiations have agreed on the content of the deal, they would table it before Uhuru and Ruto.

But curiously, even as Uhuru rescinded his earlier statement, underpinned with a capitalised statement

‘IT’S A DEAL’, Ruto candidly told Kalenjin elders in Nakuru he was out of the Presidential race and would be backing Kenyatta.

He explained his decision was informed by the fact that if he ran to the end he would lose just like he would were he to team up with Prime Minister

Raila Odinga, all because of ‘insufficient numbers’.

He told them he had decided to team up with Uhuru and play the subordinate role because it was better to get something little than lose it all.

He however promised them that like in the way Uhuru backed down in 2007 race; he had also taken one step back so as to bounce later.

Retracted statement

Though Kenyatta withdrew his statement, both sides concurred on three things; on Sunday both Uhuru and Ruto will be at a rally in Nakuru’s Afraha Stadium to unveil the deal; on Monday both parties will have a National Delegates Conference in Nairobi to ratify the deal; and finally on

Tuesday they will sign the deal and hand it over to the national electoral body.

An initial dispatch from Uhuru’s communication Director Munyori Buku declared: “Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto are the first political leaders to clinch a pre-election deal and to make it public.”

However, three hours later Buku retracted the statement saying no deal had been reached and that the initialdispatch was inaccurate. “I want to clarify that the earlier statement that the Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru

Kenyatta and Eldoret North MP William

Ruto have reached a deal was inaccurate,” he added

The statement went on to staten that negotiations were still going on and when a deal is reached, it will be the prerogative of both Uhuru and Ruto to make it public.

But Munyori said the joint rally in Nakuru was still on but could not confirm whether the announcement would still be held.

According to the earlier statement Munyori stated: “The two leaders have agreed on an alliance whose goals will be national unity, prosperity for all Kenyans, reconciliation and offers a definite and clear roadmap of making Kenya an economic powerhouse in the region, Africa and the world in the next decade.”

The statement further went on to state that a team from the two parties was working on the programme and plans for the day and that two caravans — one starting at Kinungi near Naivasha and the other at Kuresoi — will start the journey to Nakuru.

Other URP sources revealed Ruto was unhappy The National Alliance leader made the announcement without his consent yet he was still explaining the deal to his supporters.

The sources said Ruto had met over 20 MPs at his Karen residence on Monday night where he outlined the deal before meeting Kalenjin elders on Tuesday.

“Ruto is still scheduled to have several meetings in Eldoret ahead of the Sunday meeting to brief his supporters. But if they (TNA) say the deal has been reached what will he be going to tell his people in those meetings?” asked a URP MP who attended the meeting at Ruto’s home.

Ruto appealed to the elders at Kabarnet Oloi-ika resort in Nakuru to support the TNA/URP alliance because according to him it was going to form the next government.

He also used the meeting to list out benefits the community and the party was going to get if they form the next government.

Accompanied by MPs Zakaiyo Cheruiyot, Luka Kigen, Charles Keter and Isaac Ruto, he appealed to the community to allow him to continue with the talks with Uhuru. “I have prepared myself well with friends and supporters in Mombasa, North Eastern, Rift Valley and other parts of the country,’’ assured Ruto.

Ruto told them they had agreed with Uhuru to map out constituencies and counties where their parties will have candidates.

“Like in Nakuru West, TNA will not have a candidate and therefore they will help us in the campaigns and voting,” explained Ruto.

He told the community that supporting Uhuru for the presidency does not mean he feared the race. “My heart goes for our community and I appealed to everybody to remove any obstacles along the path for us to make it to State House,’’ said Ruto.

Speaking to hundreds of those who attended the meeting, Ruto told them that he was not ready to mislead the community. He told them that TNA/URP government, if they get a chance to form it, will be split into two like the current Grand Coalition, with every party picking their own ministries and heads of departments.

He accused those against the deal for misleading people from Rift Valley because of personal interest. “We want ODM supporters to cease from planting negative thoughts on our supporters against people from Central,’’ he added.

The URP leader maintained that what is going on between the two parties is just a friendly negotiation not found in the law and pleaded with the community to be realistic when making demands.

Mr Eric Ngeny who addressed the gathering told Ruto they were not ready to support ODM again and encouraged him to forge ahead.

“We voted for him in the last election only to be mistreated by the party and we are not ready to go back,” vowed Ngeny.

Ruto is expected to address rallies in Marigat, Eldoret and Kapkatet grounds ahead of the Nakuru rally.