Deputy President William Ruto insists that Raila Odinga’s main intention is to wreck Jubilee Party from within as a tactic to dwindle his 2022 presidential ambitions in which he’s a front-runner.
On Sunday in Kiambu, Ruto defended President Uhuru Kenyatta’s decision to work with Mr Odinga but regretted the latter did not ‘come in good faith’ as earlier thought.
“The president had intentions to work with our opponents so that we thwart demonstrations and blackmail. He also wanted to tame chaos created by poll losers for the sake of development,” Ruto argued.
He added: “But they now want to break Jubilee Party from within through propaganda and chaos. We will not allow that to happen. They are even sabotaging development and steps which Jubilee has made in terms of strengthening our economy.”
Lately, the DP has accused Raila Odinga of using the Handshake to peddle propaganda, a move that he says triggered the fight against graft which unfairly targets him. The DP has strongly condemned investigations into construction of Kimwarer and Arror dams where DCI George Kinoti says Sh21 billion was swindled.
But on Saturday at Serena, Raila defended his Handshake with President Uhuru Kenyatta, adding that both want to leave behind a good legacy. He ruled out claims that he was using it to indirectly campaign for 2022.
“Uhuru wanted to leave behind a good legacy and so as Raila. We decided to bury our differences for the sake of the country. I am not interested in local politics because I am now playing Super League,” said Mr Odinga.
Over the weekend, a host of Rift Valley leaders led by Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen castigated President Uhuru Kenyatta and asked him to make it public that he no longer wants the DP. They also said that walking out of Jubilee was a possibility.