Jubilee leaders from Rift Valley have asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to declare if he no longer needs Deputy President William Ruto in his government.
They accused Uhuru of frustrating Ruto. The leaders said the war on corruption targets Deputy President Ruto, to bring him down politically ahead of 2022.
Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and senators Kipchumba Murkomen (Elgeyo Marakwet) and Aaron Cheruiyot (Kericho) said they were concerned with the manner in which corruption is being fought.
“You cannot tell us about a handshake with one person yet at the same time you are trying hard to break the unity with the deputy president. It cannot work,” Murkomen said.
HANDSHAKE is the worst political fraud ever witnessed in this country. It’s being used as a scheme to fight one individual together with the charade called fight against corruption. It’s a SHAME!
— KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN, E.G.H (@kipmurkomen) March 9, 2019
Sudi told Uhuru to stop ‘hiding’ behind his handshake with Raila Odinga and publicly state if he is tired of Ruto.
“Mr President, I want to you come out and tell Ruto to his face that you no longer need him because you cannot be using state organs to create nonexistent stories to paint him negatively in the public eye,” he said.
“Uhuru must know we have no problem with his tribesmen at all…We are working well with them, it is he who is trying to frustrate Ruto.”
The leaders said Jubilee Party has developed cracks since the handshake. “While we thought the handshake was a unifying factor for all leaders from all political divides, we feel it is a tool for political conmanship and witch-hunt,” Murkomen said.
He said the ongoing probe on construction of dams in the region was a ploy to deny the residents economic projects.
Present were Bomet Governor Joyce Laboso, former Governor Isaac Rutto and more than 20 legislators.