President Uhuru Kenyatta has now told Deputy President William Ruto to resign from government if he is dissatisfied with its operations and the direction it is moving in.
The president, who called on media editors at State House Nairobi for a candid chat Monday morning left little doubt as to how broken his relationship was with DP Willam “Willy” Ruto; deputy of 9 years and running mate in two elections. The current VP said that while criticizing the same administration they both serve again being unwilling likely to ship out this had put Kenya into state confusion about where their stand really lies
According the Head of State, it is not right for DP Ruto to choose what government projects to take pride and credit in and which ones to distance himself from.
“I have an agenda that I was elected on, and that work must continue, and it would really be the honourable thing that if you’re not happy with it that you would actually step aside and allow those who want to move on, and then take your agenda to the people. Which is what happens in any normal democracy, because you can’t have your cake and eat it,” he said.
“You can’t, on the one hand, say ‘I’m not going,’ and then at the same time ‘I don’t agree.’ You’ve got to decide, because you must be principled in that endeavour. So that you don’t confuse people; on the one hand you want to sing the praises of a government, that you’re saying ‘we have done this’ and you want to ride on them, but yet on the other side of your mouth you’re talking another language.”
President Kenyatta finished his first term and reaffirmed that he would continue serving for the next five years. The President went on to say, “despite recent setbacks in court,” referring to Building Bridges Initiative’s appeal against a High Court ruling which cleared DP Ruto of corruption charges filed by then Minority leader Raila Odinga, he understands it is just one project among many others that need attention now more than ever before.
“I will not be deviated from the agenda I have set on course. BBI was just one of them, we still also have the Big Four which we have been consistently following and we will continue with the agenda as we have it,” he stated.
“People know what happens when you disagree with each other in developed civilised democracies, what people do, and I would hope that people would have the courage and the guts to do that instead of throwing stones in the same house that you’re living in.”
The Commander-in-Chief, Uhuru Kenyatta intimated that DP Ruto’s political ambitions may have caused the rift between them. However, he was quick to add that his concerns are only with how Ruto went about this ambition; by sidelining himself from a government elected for him to serve in.
“I have no idea of what has transpired, except for the fact that probably he is trying to create a base for him and for his future politics, which is his right, I have never denied him that and he’s free to do so. But I feel it’s unfortunate that the manner in which he’s doing it by going against the same government that he’s serving is wrong,” said President Kenyatta.
“Because the issues that we have been trying to achieve with this BBI, are the same issues that brought me and him together. So if I want to now expand that, because I believed and I thought that that is what we were trying to do, if you go back all the way to 2013, it has always been my agenda to bring the people of Kenya together.”
“He added, ‘If divisions of 2007 brought us together, why can’t we also have these divisions bringing more on board?’ he asked. He continued to say that “it doesn’t deny you your chances because at the end of the day it is not Uhuru who elects but rather Kenya’s people,” and that they should be happy with what comes as a result even if their candidate does not win.”
