Deputy President William Ruto has adopted a new political strategy to project himself as an outsider in government while heaping blame on President Uhuru Kenyatta for every failure in the Executive.
Ruto has also trained his guns on Uhuru’s handshake partner Raila Odinga, claiming the ODM leader agreed to a ceasefire with the government in order to loot.
For the first time since he and Uhuru formed the government in 2013, Ruto has publicly admitted to corruption in government, saying Covid-19 funds have been squandered.
The DP has termed the Covid-19 graft allegations as “grand larceny”.
Ruto denied that money was lost in the NYS scandal and even in the Arror and Kimwarer dams scandals where his close allies were charged.
Ruto is running away from any Jubilee baggage that may haunt his 2022 presidential bid, especially after it became clearer that Uhuru will not endorse him for the top job.
He would instead claim Raila should take the flak as he was the man who was working with Uhuru.
Ruto has been elbowed from the heart of power and remains at the periphery in the running of government.
In the past the DP has been labelled a thief. It was almost becoming believable that the DP had everything to do with any corruption that happened in government. Now that they kicked him out, they should be ready to take responsibility,”
But Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu took on the DP, accusing him of enjoying the full benefits entitled to him as the country’s second-in-command while at the same time attacking the President.
Ngunjiri claimed that the DP’s latest onslaught against the Executive is out of panic knowing that he had fallen out of favour in the President’s succession matrix.
“Ruto, as a presidential candidate, is facing major headwinds. He wants the government to support him as the 2022 presidential candidate. They have refused. That is why he is throwing tantrums,” Ngunjiri said.
ODM national treasurer Timothy Bosire said the DP’s efforts to project himself as ‘Mr Clean’ will not be bought by Kenyans.
National Assembly Minority Leader and ODM chairman John Mbadi asked Ruto to stop what he termed as pretence, saying the DP was yet to come clean on mega corruption allegations.
“Some thieves are very clever, brave, courageous and opportunistic. They will take advantage of any little space available to look clean. Time will vindicate those who are actually determined to fight corruption,” the ex-Kitutu Masaba MP said.
“No one can take Ruto seriously when it comes to matters fighting corruption. He is just trying to make the President’s government look bad by trying to exclude himself from it,” Mbadi said.
Surely, a person of DP’s status should not be focused on going public with certain juvenile improper statements rather should be committed to the development of the country.
It’s disheartening that a DP is said to have undermined the President by cheering wrongdoing in government and holding campaigns at his residence against the Head of State’s directive.
At a time when he should help the President crack the whip on corruption cartels within government, he holds campaigns at his residence while cheering wrongdoing within government, in the mistaken belief that any perceived failures by H.E. the President will raise his (DP’s) dwindling profile. The DP is left with only two options to either rise to the occasion and play the role of DP, or ship out and let the President work in peace.