LIST OF RUTO’S ALLIES WHO HAVE SHOWN SIGNS OF BETRAYAL.

Deputy President William Ruto’s inner circle is reportedly concerned of a looming betrayal by a number of his Mt Kenya allies who have been speaking about supporting him but went silent when material support was requested. 

The inner-circle saw a red flag after the DP’s allies in Parliament were requested to redirect their monthly contributions from Jubilee Party to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). 

On February 8, Ruto’s Rift Valley confidants led by Kapseret MP, Oscar Sudi, wrote to the Clerk of the National Assembly requesting their Jubilee Party contributions slashed from Ksh 10,000 to Ksh 50. They wanted the balance to be channelled to the  Kazi ni Kazi Welfare Group under UDA. 

However, their Mt Kenya colleagues declined to follow suit and have maintained their silence on their matter ever since. 

Some have been playing cagey with the decision to join UDA and instead have opted to only popularise Ruto’s presidential ambitions and other newly formed parties within Mt Kenya.

Some of the MPs in Rift Valley have written to clerks of the National Assembly and Senate about the decision to stop contribution to Jubilee but those in Mt Kenya are reluctant to do so. 

“They want the issue of the party clarified,” a Mt Kenya MP privy of the developments told the Standard. 

Another MP confirmed that they are not ready to join UDA  and are weighing their options by looking at other upcoming parties and also the future of Jubilee Party. The MP said that they are concerned by the divisions within Jubilee and are concerned that the same may arise in UDA if they fold their parties to form one union like Ruto did with URP in 2017. 

The parties affiliated with UDA which are reportedly giving Ruto a puzzle are former Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri’s The Service Party (TSP), Moses Kuria’s People Empowerment Party and Citizen Convention Party under Kirinyaga Women Representative Purity Ngirici. 

Mt Kenya allies also want Ruto to assure them that he will pick one of their own as a running mate in 2022 before they declare their full support for his aspirations. 

Another key issue is the outcome of the Building Bridges Initiative which the allies have constantly attacked and hinted at opposing. Laikipia County became the first county to pass BBI in Mt Kenya alongside 10 others, with only 13 remaining to reach the required quorum, 24. 

The allies are keen on the progress of the report which President Uhuru Kenyatta has been championing for. Kenyatta recently came out to openly speak on his division with Ruto, after nearly three years of maintaining his silence on the issue. 

The President is keen on uniting the region ahead of the 2022 General Election. While speaking at the Sagana State Lodge in Nyeri County in January 2021, Kenyatta said that Ruto and his allies were constantly abusing him and opposing development agendas yet he (Kenyatta) never said that he would not support in 2022 as the DP allies claimed. 

A month later, he dared Ruto to resign from the government. Kenyatta also summoned a parliamentary group meeting where he de-whipped Irungu Kangata as Senate Majority Chief Whip, accusing him of sidelining with Ruto. Kenyatta also asked CSs aligned with Ruto to quit Cabinet with reports alleging that he would crackdown on the DP’s government sympathisers.

The President was irked by the formation of UDA with Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju saying that those who joined the wheelbarrow party would face disciplinary action.

By Kenyans.co ke