Disquiet in Jubilee over Sudi remark on Uhuru, Ruto bond

Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi (pictured) he alluded to the breaking up of Jubilee party. Sudi said that the charges brought against Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich was politically instigated. 24-07-2019. [Phillip Tunoi/Standard]

A declaration by Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi that the Jubilee political marriage is on the rocks has exposed the lawmaker as a reckless troubleshooter and stoked the raging flames in the ruling party.

On Wednesday, the lawmaker - who is widely believed to be close to Deputy President William Ruto - likened the current political relationship between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his number two to that of "a man and a woman who are married, but sleeping in different houses".

He claimed he could make a better president, and even asked Uhuru to hand over power if he was unable to govern the country.

“It is obvious that there is no bromance still existing in the presidency as it was before. All this has been fueled by succession politics and the fight pitting dynasties and hustlers. President Kenyatta should hand over power to someone else… the centre cannot hold anymore,” claimed the straight-shooting MP.

The statement came amid a feeling in Jubilee that the DP had been sidelined in the 2022 succession race, opening a vicious battle between two opposing camps in the party.

Mr Sudi appears to have opened a can of worms through his statement.

Keiyo South MP Daniel Rono yesterday said he shared in Sudi’s sentiments that the Jubilee boat has hit the rocks.

“He is speaking on his own, but do not overlook the fact that he is very close to the DP. However, the fact of the matter is that the relationship between the DP and the President is not the way it used to be. The current turmoil is going to tear the party apart,” said Mr Rono.

But Soy MP Caleb Kositany said all was well in the ruling party and asked the Kapseret lawmaker to slow down.

“Sudi is a leader like any other, and leaders come in different packages. There are those who speak their minds and those who choose to remain silent. Sudi should go slow,” said Mr Kositany.

Fight freedom

But Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro - a close Ruto ally - claimed there was a scheme to intimidate the DP's supporters into silence.

“I will be arrested next week over the management of National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) last term, where I was the CDF chairman. This is a ploy to fight freedom enshrined in the Constitution,” Mr Nyoro said, adding the harassment was designed to silence Ruto’s allies in Mt Kenya region.

In a statement, he claimed Turkana East MP Mohammed Lokiru revealed that he (Nyoro) and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wa were being targeted for their spirited support of Ruto.

“A month ago, Lokiru broke the news in Parliament that I and Ichung’wa were targets of arrest, as we have supported Ruto against the will of few,” Nyoro alleged. 

Sudi is not new to controversy, and he has in the past been known to ruffle feathers with statements targeting both real and imagined enemies.

A month ago, leaders at a function presided over by the President in Eldoret held their breath when the MP took to the podium to address the crowd. 

Thankfully, this time around he only talked of maneno kidogo kidogo (minor issues) before sitting down, much to the relief of many leaders present. “Don’t worry Mr President, dose ya Sudi ni kidogo (Sudi can easily be handled)," said Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago after Sudi had spoken. 

He is also on record using unpleasant terms to describe a principal secretary following claims of an assassination plot against Ruto.

When Sudi is not behind the microphone taking on his real and imagined enemies, he is on his Facebook page firing on all cylinders.

Interestingly, Sudi behind the microphone at a political rally, and Sudi in Parliament are two different people.

Kirinyaga Woman Representative Wangui Ngirichi told The Standard she was not aware of any rift between Uhuru and Ruto. “Unless I hear it from the horse's mouth, Uhuru and Ruto are very much together the way they combined forces in 2013 General Election, and I cannot take what some leaders are saying to the contrary,” she said.

Relationship strained

Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu said the relationship between the President and his deputy was strained. "I cannot comment on whether there is hope to repair their broken political ties; that is up to both of them to decide," Mr Wambugu added.

"A lot will be determined by how the DP will behave towards the President; if he changes tack and takes cues from his boss, then they are likely to get along better," he said.

Women MPs termed Sudi's statement reckless, adding that the pronouncement "has the potential to break the party". “Come to (Parliament) and do your work. He only calls meetings to (criticise) leaders such as the President. We are yet to see what he is doing to change people’s lives,” said Samburu West MP Naisula Lesuuda.

“As Kalenjins, we don’t go beyond when addressing issues. You may have your issues with the President, but respect his position," said Baringo Woman representative Gladwell Cheruiyot. [Additional reporting by Boniface Gikandi and Kennedy Gachuhi]