Uhuru, Ruto hold crisis talks amid simmering tension in Jubilee

Deputy President William Ruto greets jovial members of the public at Marimanti Market, Tharaka Nithi County.

A five-hour crisis meeting between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto on Friday brought to the fore the simmering tensions within the Jubilee Party and attempts to foster unity.

The meeting comes in the backdrop of accusations and counter-accusations within the party’s rank and file over issues of corruption, contraband sugar and the 2022 presidential election.

These divisions have caught the attention of President Uhuru who is keen to end divisions within his party that threaten to derail his legacy.

Sources said Kenyatta does not want to see what happened to the Grand Coalition Government during President Mwai Kibaki’s second term, in his party.

The crisis meeting that started at around noon saw Ruto delay already planned appointments such as the one with the parents and pupils of Pumwani Primary School in Nairobi County, as well as a meet-the-people tour of Starehe Constituency.

The meeting started after Kenyatta had attended the Renault Virtual Reality Technology event at the Total Motorshow at Kenyatta International Convention Centre.

Earlier, President Kenyatta had signed into law the Appropriation Bill 2018, authorising the issue of Shs 1.4 trillion from the Consolidated Fund for delivery of public goods and services in the Financial Year 2018/19 which starts today.

He had also met with US Under-Secretary of Commerce Gilbert Kaplan and they discussed an MOU to be signed between the governments of Kenya and the US that will facilitate implementation of infrastructure and the Big Four Agenda projects.

It is believed that Mr Kenyatta and Ruto discussed healing the seemingly widening rifts between perceived factions in Jubilee. The meeting was not attended by any other people.

Bitter exchanges

After the talks, is understood that the two leaders agreed to have a Jubilee Parliamentary Meeting on Tuesday to iron out the differences and make the Big Four Agenda a priority.

The crisis talks come at a time when there are bitter exchanges within the ruling party on corruption, lifestyle audit and Ruto’s 2022 State House bid.

On Wednesday, an intelligence report by IHS Markit, a global investigative magazine based in London, indicated that there could be plans to have President Kenyatta’s allies marshal a two-thirds parliamentary majority necessary to approve Ruto’s impeachment, primarily by co-operating with the Opposition Orange Democratic Movement.

The report by Chris Suckling, a senior analyst, Africa Country Risk at IHS Markit, noted that Kenyan President Kenyatta’s lifestyle audit was likely to form the basis of impeachment proceedings to block Ruto’s 2022 bid by removing him from office this year.

On Wednesday night, MPs from Rift Valley agreed to stop attacks on a section of the party and work together for the common good of the Jubilee family.

The over 40 lawmakers also agreed to resolve the mistrust issues that were emerging within Jubilee and reach out to the Mount Kenya leaders to cement their relationship.

Prior to the meeting, the legislators had torn into President Kenyatta’s directive for a lifestyle audit claiming that it was targeting Ruto.

Two weeks ago, while addressing a gathering at Miritini in Mombasa County during the commissioning of the Dongo Kundu bypass, Uhuru called for a lifestyle audit as part of investigations into misuse of public resources.

The president said the audit, set to begin next month, would begin with him and his deputy, then cascade to the Cabinet and other Government officers officials and their family members.

Days after the statement, a group of MPs from Rift Valley led by Senate Minority leader and Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen said that the lifestyle audit was targeting Ruto.

Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi said that if the audit was to have credibility, then it should start from the time Kenya got independence in 1963.

It is also understood that Uhuru has been concerned that Ruto’s jostling for the 2022 presidency could affect his Big Four Agenda and has on a number of occasions, publicly insisted that time for politicking is over and leaders should  channel their energies towards serving Kenyans.

Yesterday, Baringo North MP William Cheptumo welcomed the move to have a PG and said that it was time the party took the same direction so as to deliver on its philosophy of development and unifying the country.

“It is only through unity that we can deliver. We must support President Kenyatta in his effort to deliver on his election pledges,” Cheptumo said.