Ruto aims gun on Raila as critics tell him to stop fighting Uhuru

Jubilee leaders Nominated MP Maina Kamanda, Nyeri town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu and Kangema Member of Parliament Muturi Kigano with other Jubilee leaders at Hallelujah church in Karuri Banana, Kiambu County during a church service Sunday 24th March 2019. [Photo: David Gichuru/Standard]

Deputy President William Ruto sustained his attacks on opposition chief Raila Odinga but his rivals in Jubilee asked him to stop fighting President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Dr Ruto yesterday vowed he would not allow Raila to wreck the ruling party under the guise of fighting corruption.

He described Raila as a deceitful politician, labelling him a “wolf in sheep’s skin” who was not forthright about his handshake with President Kenyatta, but one who was out to weaponise the purge as a political tool for 2022 succession.

“There is a lot of propaganda. You see all these campaigns (on corruption), it is all about Ruto. I will stand firm because I know there is nothing they can do. They didn’t support President Uhuru but they are now giving us a lecture on how to fight corruption and how to run the Government,” Ruto said at Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) in Nairobi’s Mwiki. 

Main threat

Ruto said Raila was the last person who should lecture anybody on graft and asked him to fix the opposition coalition, National Super Alliance (NASA), which he said was in a shambles, before he can lecture them on how to fight corruption. 

He said he was being targeted in the war against corruption since he was the main threat for their political ambitions.

“These are people whom we have defeated three times. They have never supported our development agenda. Their anger is directed at me because they cannot get to Uhuru since he is doing his final term. The people who are claiming to be friendly to Jubilee, they are wolves in sheep’s skin,” Ruto charged.

But separately, a group of Jubilee MPs accused Ruto of fighting the President through proxies and further claimed he was the one sowing discord in the ruling party by undermining the head of state’s agenda.

The 12 MPs, under the Kieleweke movement led by nominated MP Maina Kamanda, claimed that the DP was holding a dagger to Uhuru. Speaking at Halleluyah Gospel Church in Banana, Kamanda sensationally claimed that Ruto had hired staff sacked by the President to act as “spies”.

“Wewe hakuna kitu ingine, umechukulia Uhuru kisu. Wewe umechukua watu wake wale amefuta umeweka kwa ofisi yako. Hio ni kisu (You are holding a knife to the President. The people he has fired are the ones you have employed” Mr Kamanda said.

Cherangany MP Joshua Kuttuny advised Uhuru not to “close his eyes” when he sleeps, adding that Ruto should not “force” leadership by sending “attack dogs” to undermine and insult Uhuru.

“If you want leadership in Kenya tame your tongue don’t use force,” Kuttuny said. “I want to tell Jubilee people if someone wants the presidency and dresses down Kenyatta today who’s the president what will he do when he becomes president?” he posed.

“Uhuru is not a fool if you see him saying the nation is bigger than an individual. How will you succeed? In the morning you insult Uhuru in the evening Raila,” Kuttuny said.  

Other MPs present were Isaac Mwaura, Peter Mwathi (Limuru), Paul Koinange (Kiambaa), Muturi Kigano (Kangema), Robert Mbui (Kathiani) Jared Okello (Nyando) and Maoka Maore (Igembe North).

In Mwiki, Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu, MPs Kimani Ngunjiri (Bahati), Kimani Ichungwa (Kikuyu), Aisha Jumwa (Malindi), Peter Wainaina (Thika Town), John Kiarie (Dagoreti South), Jeremiah Kioni (Ndaragwa), Charles Kanyi (Starehe) and Benjamin Gathiru (Embakasi Central) said Mt Kenya region should back Ruto come 2022 to avoid perception of being traitors.

The leaders, who were accompanying Ruto, said Uhuru’s wins of 2013 and 2017 were as a result of Ruto’s backing. 

They said it would be “political conmanship” for the region to renege on its promise to back Ruto after Uhuru finishes his final term.

“We want to tell Raila that Mt Kenya will not betray Ruto. We don’t want to be seen as con men because if it were not for Ruto, Uhuru would not have become President. We agreed that Uhuru serves for 10 years then Ruto another 10 years,” said Waititu.

Bandit party

But Kamanda further dismissed claims by Ruto that Jubilee was united, saying that it needed to be “washed clean”.

“Jubilee will only be united when we fight corruption together. When you lie to people that we are together people will flee and say it’s a bandit party,” he said.

“It’s a must we wash it clean,” he added.

Kuttuny said the attacks on Uhuru and Raila were only strengthening the duo’s bond.

He said that the vision Jubilee was made with was imploding due to lack of mutual respect.

“Siasa ya Jubilee imefika mahali mpaka namwambia ukilala usifunge macho kwa sababu kikulacho kinguoni mwako (Jubilee politics has got to a place where I have to tell him to be wary of the enemy within),” he said.  

Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu said politicians alleging that the corruption purge was targeting them were wrong.

“We will not stop the war on corruption to support someone’s career,” he said.

Ichungwa and Ngunjiri said they believed Uhuru would back Ruto.