Tuju who is Jubilee’s Secretary General is becoming Ruto’s biggest headache in the succession matrix, as the latter angles to control the Jubilee political machine ahead of 2022.
Though the strife has been subtle- it played into the public eye when the ex-Rarieda MP issued a Jubilee statement on “setting the record straight” on ODM’s withdrawal from the Wajir West poll.
He said there were “high-level consultations between Opposition Chief Raila Odinga and President Uhuru before Mohamed Elmi withdrew as ODM’s candidate for the poll”.
“We would like to put on record that this withdrawal by ODM follows high-level consultations by the leadership of the two parties,” Tuju stated and thanked the ODM leadership “for reading with us from the same script”.
He went on, “As reiterated by the President a few days ago during his State of the Nation address, “There is no going back on the Building Bridges Initiative.”
This statement was a huge contradiction form Ruto’s on the Wajir issue.
Ruto’s allies say Tuju is among a cabal of powerful elites around the President who are sabotaging their man.
National Assembly Majority Whip Benjamin Washiali yesterday accused Tuju of issuing reckless statements with the potential of breaking up Jubilee.
“We should stop this bragging and chest-thumping about who negotiated it. Whoever did that was doing so on behalf of the party and nobody should claim credit,” said the Mumias East MP, a close ally of Ruto.
He added, “It was actually the DP who reached out to this candidate and the leaders of Wajir to broker the deal. Raila had nothing to do with the consultations. The consultations were at the DP level.”
“Tuju appears to be having a clear brief to derail Ruto’s succession plan. He has been issuing reckless statements supporting the opposition’s stand at the expense of the Deputy President,” said yet another Jubilee senator from Rift Valley close to the DP.
Another vocal Jubilee MP from Kiambu claims Tuju had resorted to pursuing the interests of rival parties that are in competition with Jubilee.
“Tell me how he manages to come out and contradict the Deputy President even on this Wajir issue. We can’t entertain antagonism and conmanship. Tuju should cross over to ODM where his blood is,” the furious MP said.
Tangible sources aver that that Uhuru personally spoke to Raila over the forthcoming Wajir poll moments before the President left for a four-day State Visit of Mauritius.
According to a close political ally of the former prime minister who was present when the two leaders spoke on phone, Raila agreed to Uhuru’s request to withdraw his candidate from the by-election.