ODM leader Raila Odinga's allies on Monday took a swipe at Deputy President William Ruto, accusing him of dragging their party leader into the Jubilee mess unnecessarily.
MPs Antony Oluoch (Mathare), Caleb Amisi (Saboti), Moitalel Kenta (Narok North), and Godfrey Osotsi (Nominated) accused the DP of being dishonest in his attacks.
They said at Parliament Buildings that it was baffling that the DP has been getting jittery whenever issues of corruption are directed at his hustler camp.
They said the DP should be the last to lecture people on corruption issues but should instead resign and criticise the government from outside other than hurl words while still clinging to state power.
Raila and Ruto at the weekend traded barbs on graft, events which were ignited by sentiments by Raila that his team will jail the corrupt when they assume power.
The ODM leaders said it was regrettable that the DP has failed to confront the issue of graft and has instead resorted to pointing fingers at other quarters.
“When issues of corruption were directed his way by Raila Odinga, he tried to throw the butt saying graft started with the grand coalition, NYS, and Kemsa,” Oluoch said.
The lawmakers said the DP’s sentiments were merely an attempt to turn the whole narrative about corruption to the handshake side.
They further took issue with the DP accusing him of trying to create an impression that Raila and Uhuru have a problem with the downtrodden of the society.
The leaders were also not amused by the sentiments to the effect that the DP helped Raila win elections in 2007 and President Uhuru Kenyatta in the last two elections of 2013 and 2017.
“We know how Raila presidency was taken away in 2007. We know how the grand coalition was formed. It was not documented anywhere that Ruto placed Raila in that role of prime minister,” Oluoch said.
“For the DP to attempt to give the impression that he is the one responsible for the premiership, it is a bid fallacy. It was irresponsible for Ruto to say that he propelled his boss to the presidency,” he said.
Kenta said it was the high time the DP resigned, adding that most Jubilee messes were committed in the first term of the current administrations reign.
“We know how the DP was running the show most part of the first term of Jubilee. What has been his role in the government for the last eight years? What magic is he bringing?” he asked.
The lawmaker further challenged the DP to give Kenyans an update of the progress of the promises they made ahead of the 2017 polls.
“It is a fact that he promised 500,000 jobs a year, it is now nine years, where are the jobs? Aren’t people being laid off?”
Kenta said that as far as they are concerned, Raila is not a state officer hence should not at any point be blamed for the Jubilee failures.
“How can one say he (Raila) is running a government? What has DP done as Kenyatta’s assistant to stop the corruption?”
The leaders challenged the Tangatanga side to be truthful to the people of Kenya in their campaigns ahead of the 2022 vote.
They held that history is clear on which side of the political divide has worked against Kenyans aspirations over time.
“How do you talk of hustlers when they can’t plant maize because they cannot access quality inputs? These are the people who import maize and sugar, grow maize outside the country and have killed the spirit of cooperatives. They must be truthful to the people of Kenya,” Kenta said.
Amisi asked, “Why is it that the DP is the one who reacts whenever corruption issues are mentioned? When Raila says his team will jail the corrupt, what is wrong with that?”
“We have people whose first name start with corruption, so much so that when you mention corruption, they are the first to defend themselves,” the Saboti MP said.