Central Kenya Jubilee Alliance Party leaders expressed concerns that Deputy President William Ruto was planning to sabotage President Uhuru Kenyatta ahead of the 2017 General Election.
They claimed Ruto was recruiting party rebels to use them as a bargaining chip to ask for more power.
They also said Ruto’s many wars with the opposition was not good for the forthcoming Jubilee Party.
Deputy President William Ruto has been accused of being reckless with the Jubilee Party merger by engaging in many wars, a move that could sabotage President Uhuru Kenyatta.
A number of Uhuru Kenyatta’s allies from Central Kenya were of the opinion that Ruto was out to build his own political empire at the expense of the President.
Ruto was accused of recruiting rebels in order to use them as a bargaining chip to ask for more power within the forthcoming Jubilee Party.
Their friction with Ruto began when the deputy president claimed that he was the mastermind of the Western Kenya ODM rebellion after he held a meeting at his Sugoi home in December 2015, inviting thousands of leaders from various communities.
His interaction with rebels became a problem for some of the Jubilee coalition members because these rebels were not being directly recruited into the ruling coalition.
With or without Ruto, Uhuru has enough security in terms of votes. He is a likable person, he is a man of the people. Uhuru is a person who can be loved by anyone. He is sincere, a hard-working person. He is not involved in corruption and Kenyans have been looking for that kind of a leader,” said nominated Senator Ben Paul Njoroge as quoted in the Star.
Among some of the rebels Ruto has been working with are Mumias East MP Benjamin Washiali, Bungoma Senator Ken Luska as well as Sirisia MP John Waluke.
His political ambition also saw his plans to poach Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya exposed after it was claimed he (Ruto) was willing to bank roll the formation of a new Western Kenya party for Oparanya. He, however, rejected the plans.
“It was a surprise that during the deliberations with Ruto, former ODM National Youth Chairman Rashid Mohammed walked in,” said Oparanya as quoted in the Star on Monday, July 25.
Mohammed was kicked out of his position by the party and was also accused of organizing and inciting youth to demonstrate against ODM leader Raila Odinga on Friday, July 22, over non-existent Mumias Sugar Company debts.
One of the key allies Ruto was said to be depending on is former Westlands member of parliament Fred Gumo who has been spearheading Ruto’s Western Kenya charge.
Gumo was among those who accompanied Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka and a host of New Ford Kenya politicians to State House on Wednesday, July 20, to meet President Uhuru.
Ruto’s wars with some Rift Valley region leaders also became a problem for some members of the coalition.
They claimed that his chest thumping and insulting leaders in his divide and conquer strategy against the opposition was affecting coalition unity.
URP rebels accused Ruto of using the Kalenjin community to advance his political interests.
At State House, his URP party was also said to be engaged in friction with some TNA members.
The infighting within the coalition saw Uhuru’s top political agent, Nancy Gitau, tender her resignation due to her poor relationship with William Ruto.
Ruto’s allies called for her sacking because they felt her close professional relationship with Uhuru was a threat to the coalition as well as the formation of the Jubilee Party.
“On several occasions, they tried to block her from accessing President Uhuru Kenyatta because they felt that her stay was no longer justifiable,” published the newspaper on Friday, July 22.
This was after Ruto’s lawyer claimed that Nancy Gitau was among those who coached witnesses to fix Ruto at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity during the 2007/8 post-election violence.
