The ruling party has announced plans to kick out Deputy President William Ruto from the deputy party leadership position in renewed efforts to clean up the divided house ahead of the planned Jubilee-ODM merger.
Jubilee deputy secretary general Joshua Kutuny told said that Ruto’s tenure is increasingly becoming unsustainable yet the deputy party leader position is critical in any coalition negotiations.
“The party is going to have new officials now that some officials parted ways with us,” Kutuny said as quoted by the Daily Nation in reference to Ruto.
Kutuny who is also the Chereng’ani Member of Parliament said the move to kick William Ruto out as deputy party leader is expected to be complete before November 2021 adding that it will shock many.
“We have a clear strategy that will shock many when the right time comes. The president has an elaborate plan that will completely destabilize any opposition that will be facing his team,” he added.
Kivumbi.co.ke understnads this is not the first attempt by President Uhuru Kenyatta’s allies to kick out DP Ruto as the Jubilee deputy party leader.
In June 2020, the National Management Committee had recommended the removal of Ruto as the party’s second in command.
This saw President Uhuru intervene as he was not keen on Ruto being stripped of his powers, handing the DP a political lifeline in the ruling party although he has technically walked out.
However, Ruto’s ouster could likely face legal challenges as the Jubilee Constitution provides that as long as he is the deputy president, he automatically assumes the role of the party second in command.
“The President of the Republic of Kenya shall be the Party Leader and the Deputy President shall be the Deputy Party Leader,” reads Article 33(2) of the Constitution.
However, there are those who argue that striping off Ruto his party mandate could be the hardest task ever.
