NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 23- Even at the tail end of their term, it seems President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto might never agree, after all.
The President says he is not aware of what killed the camaraderie with his Deputy. Former President Mwai Kibaki while leaving office described them as a dynamic duo.
Not even his Deputy knows what they have been ‘beefing’ about. When asked, DP Ruto has constantly referred journalists to the President.
“Ask the President,” he says.
A quagmire of a situation it is. Right?
And a year to the election, President Kenyatta who met news editors at State House, Mombasa has asked DP Ruto to resign if he is not happy being in government.
And that, he says is what happens in developed democracies.
“If you are not happy, step aside and allow those who want to move on, move and then take your agenda to the people, which it is what happens in normal democracies,” the President said.
He wondered, why his Deputy would want to ride on the good things accomplished by his government and then on the other hand, criticize the same government.
“It is unfortunate the manner in which he is doing…going against the same government,” the President said.
But why has the President isolated his Deputy of 9 years?
The President says he cannot invite someone who does not believe in his agenda, following questions on the numerous meetings he has had with opposition leaders at State House Mombasa in recent weeks.
The editors meeting comes a few days after the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) was annihilated- following the decision by the Court of Appeal to uphold that of the High Court, declaring it null and void.
The President said like the Big Four agenda, that was one of his many initiatives meant to unite the country.
It is on the same premises, he said, that he united with DP Ruto in 2013, only that he has now expanded “to accommodate everyone.”
“We want to push a common agenda…” the President asserted. And for that, he will not be inviting his Deputy for those meetings.
“You don’t call someone who is opposed to you…” he said.
The editors meeting also came two days ahead of a scheduled meeting with his political buddies led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The President also denied claims by his Deputy that the government focused too much on the BBI in turn almost forgetting to actualize one of its key campaign promises to Kenyans, the Big Four Agenda.
“It is time for us to join hands and pursue the priorities of the people with the same urgency and vigour that had been dedicated to the BBI,” he said on Sunday.
“We must make up for all the time lost, resources spent and opportunities forgone in the knowledge that time is of the essence. For truly, it is never too late to do the right thing.”
Both Odinga and Ruto are seeking to replace the President, once his term lapses in August next year.
The President has been rooting for unity among those seeking to run for the presidency, for them to have a chance to beat his Deputy in the polls.
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