When it rains it pours! Perhaps Deputy President William Ruto understands the meaning of this statement better than anyone else. In fact for him it is more than pouring! It is flooding.
2019 was supposed to be the year he solidifies his claim on the Presidency. But Ruto is not even guaranteed of a Jubilee Party ticket thanks to one David Murathe. President Uhuru Kenyatta’s decision to appoint CS Fred Matiang’i as his Prime Minister also greatly curtailed the powers of the man from Sugoi.
But that is just a tip of the ice bag. Someone is also going after the staff at the DP’s office. Fresh details indicate that the team has not been paid their allowances since August last year.
The various outreach teams attached to the Deputy President — including his large media crew, security, drivers and protocol officers — are yet to receive their allowances since the final quarter of last year, severely curtailing their movements across the country.
In a single day, the teams typically travel separately in advance to multiple locations — sometimes up to four or five places — by road with the Deputy President mostly shuttling using a helicopter.
The move could be seen as part of a scheme to curtail the countrywide activities of the “tanga tanga” team made up of politicians rooting for Dr Ruto’s 2022 presidential ambitions, who have been accused of engaging in early campaigns that threaten President Uhuru Kenyatta’s legacy.
Will Ruto survive 2019?