- Murathe said the President is clipping Gachagua's wings in Mt Kenya region.
- By embracing politicians working with Gachagua, Murathe said, Ruto is blocking the DP from forming own party.
Image: JUBILEE/X
Jubilee Party Vice Chairperson David Murathe has claimed that President William Ruto is planning to betray his deputy Rigathi Gachagua.
Murathe, who is allied to Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta's faction, claimed on Saturday that Ruto will throw Gachagua's political ambitions under the bus.
He alleged that the President is already scheming on how to fix his deputy and sabotage his ambitions of seeking to succeed him as President.
Speaking during a Jubilee party engagement meeting in Lamu on Saturday, Murathe claimed that Ruto's decision to appoint Jubilee rebels to government positions is the clearest indication yet.
Ruto has appointed senior members of the Jubilee Party such as national chairman Nelson Dzuya as a member of the Non-Governmental Organizations Co-ordination Board.
Murathe also lalleged that Ruto's move to work closely with East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Kanini Kega and nominated MP Sabina Chege is meant to clip Gachagua's wings in Mt Kenya.
The aim, he said, is to block Gachagua from forming his own party or building his own political army in his backyard that would be crucial in his bid to succeed Ruto.
“Ruto is clever, he knows the law, he is looking for ways to get rid of the officials because they started aligning themselves politically with DP Gachagua like Kanini and Sabina. Ruto cannot let DP Gachagua to form his own party. So he is cutting him down to size,” claimed Murathe.
Murathe also alleged that a scheme by some forces in Ruto's UDA party to expand the leadership of the party and bringing on board two more deputy party leaders is aimed at neutralising Gachagua.
“You have heard the attempts to have 3 deputy party leaders including installing Mudavadi, Wetangula, and Rigathi. That is why you have heard Mt Kenya protesting because they insist the party only has 1 deputy party leader, Rigathi. When a person wants to trim your influence, they don't tell you directly. The union is already finished, ” Murathe further claimed.
The party was forced to postpone its grassroots elections that were initially planned for this month to April next year in what was linked to disagreements over the sharing of leadership slots.
Sone of Gachagua's allies from Mt Kenya region have insisted that he will remain the sole deputy in command in Jubilee and that they will oppose any plans to bring on board two more deputy party leaders.
From Western Kenya, a section of politicians has claimed that Gachagua is not the guaranteed successor of Ruto and that a Luyha is tipped to take over from Ruto when he retires.