Murathe has resigned as Jubilee vice chair citing that he cannot continue serving as Jubilee Vice Chairman considering his bid to block Deputy President William Ruto from vying for presidency in 2022.
Addressing the media in Nairobi, Murathe said he will be heading to the Supreme Court to seek interpretation on the deputy president’s term and whether a holder of the position can serve as a president.
He stated that his statements against DP Ruto’s intention to succeed President Kenyatta are his personal views, adding that “I am not taking brief from anybody.”
“I stand by the statements I made, and they are my own views. We have diverse persons who share similar views as mine, we shouldn’t start insults,” said the former Gatanga Member of Parliament.
Murathe, a close friend of President Uhuru Kenyatta and ex-Gatanga MP, yesterday said Ruto is not eligible to run for president in 2022 because his fate is constitutionally intertwined with the President’s.
He said his side will be seeking the Supreme Court’s advisory opinion on the matter ahead of the election.
“Section 148 of the Constitution says nobody can run for Deputy President for more than two terms. And why does it say that? Because Section 142 also says nobody can run for President for more than two terms, and this presidency is a pair… If for whatever reason the president is not able to carry out his functions, who becomes the president?
Can the President sack the DP? Can he? So in essence, if he automatically becomes President without going for the mandate of the voter, it means he is still riding on the very first mandate they were given as a pair. Then that is why he can’t run again…” said Murathe.
He was speaking at Rarieda during the burial of Kefa Oduor, Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju’s brother