Kenya’s Deputy President William Ruto has maintained that he will not resign even as his relationship with the Jubilee party and President Uhuru Kenyatta deteriorates.
His critics have been asking him to resign like Kenya’s first vice preisident and Raila Odinga’s fatherJaramog Oginga Odinga did while working under first President of Kenya and Uhuru Kenyatta’s father, Jommo Kenyatta.
Speaking in an interview on KTN News on Thursday, William Ruto said it will be the biggest act of betrayal if he were to walk away from the 8 million Kenyans who voted for him and President Uhuru.
“For William Ruto, I have chosen to make a different decision (from what Jaramogi Oginga Odinga did in 1966). I believe that I can still use the latitude given to this office to do more for Kenyans or other things for Kenyans,” Ruto said.
The embattled deputy president who has previously admitted his relationship with Uhuru has deteriorated, further wondered why a section of leaders was pushing him to resign when he has not in any way violated any of the articles of the constitution of Kenya.
“I have discharged the assignments given to me by the president without fail, to the extend required by the constitution. At any one time when my advice as the Deputy President is need, I ave given without fail. There is no duty that the president has given me and which I have not performed,” he said.
The 2022 presidential hopeful further said President Uhuru is at liberty, according to the constitution, to assign some functions that the Deputy President would otherwise perform to whoever he pleases.
“The president (Uhuru Kenyatta) is doing his constitutional duties. The Deputy President has not violated any law or any article of the constitution for him to warrant a resignation or anything. So if it working, why do you want to fix it,?” Ruto pondered.
It is understood that Ruto and his boss have not been in the best of terms since the famous March 2018 handshake between Uhuru and opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Last week, Wiper Democratic Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka called on DP Ruto to resign if dissatisfied working with President Uhuru so as he can preserve his dignity.
Kalonzo, a former Vice-President said even though President Uhuru has no legal basis to fire his deputy due to their visible and continued cold wars, such resignation at this time would earn Ruto a political milage.
“But if William Ruto wants to be a true democrat… the most honorable thing he can do is to resign… in fact, that will earn him a terrific milage … and Kenyans will remember him for that,” he added.
“This is completely unconstitutional. The president has joined a bandwagon …It is a bad example. They can both resign and pave way for by-election because they were elected as unit hence must work as a unit,’’ Karua said.
