The Jubilee Party National Management
Committee (NMC) has proposed that Deputy President William Ruto be removed as deputy
party leader over alleged misconduct.
The NMC also wants Ruto barred altogether from
using the Jubilee party headquarters in Pangani, Nairobi to advance his 2022
presidential ambitions.
Jubilee
Secretary General Raphael Tuju announced the planned drastic measures after he staged
a “bloodless coup” at Pangani on Thursday flanked by MPs allied to his course.
Ruto stormed the party
HQ accompanied by tens of MPs but was not received by any top Jubilee official
in a move widely viewed as an attempt to take back control of the party.
The
move by Ruto has particularly raised major eyebrows given its timing as
President Uhuru Kenyatta had flown out on a three-day official visit to France.
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Speaking
on Friday, Tuju termed Ruto’s action as “attempted power grab” accusing him of
showing “arrogance, insolence and disrespect of President Uhuru Kenyatta who is
also the Jubilee Party Leader.”
“Yesterday, the DP turned up
at the Party Headquarters with more than 30 MPs many of them known avowed
abusers of the President. These are the same fowl mouthed MPs that are on
record attacking government programs like the Huduma number.”
Tuju further accused the second in command in the country and the ruling party of continuing to sow the seeds of discord by storming the party headquarters.
“Indeed, that move of inviting MPs allied to
him almost created an ugly confrontation with close to 40 MPs not allied to him
who also wanted to storm the headquarters,” he said.
Tuju
lashed out at the DP opposing the party for not fielding a candidate in the looming
Msambweni mini poll by throwing his weight behind an independent candidate.
Ruto
was also on the receiving end for skipping the National Covid-19 Conference on
Monday which was presided over President Uhuru Kenyatta despite being invited.
“For such travesty, the only thing we have
received from the DPs camp are tweets from his allies rubbing salt into the
injury,” said Tuju.
Based
on these issues the party has with Ruto, they resolved to bar Ruto from running
his political operations at the headquarters.
“It
is no longer tenable for the DP to use the Party platform including statements
from the party headquarters to advance his divisive so called hustler politics
that are counter to the Party and President’s platform of uniting the country,
the fight against corruption and the agenda four items,” added Tuju.
The
NMC also wants Ruto ejected as Uhuru’s deputy in Jubilee for opening rival
Jubilee Asili offices.