Deputy President William Ruto’s allies have issued demands before reconciling his camp with Uhuru Kenyatta but the demands have been dismissed by the president’s allies, dimming any hopes of the once formidable political friends ever reconciling before 2022.
Speaking separately, Ruto’s foot soldiers believe Jubilee party, a product of Uhuru and Ruto in the run up to 2017 General Election has been hijacked by a few individuals who have gone ahead to destroy it.
The Tanga Tanga politicians claim a string of losses in recent by-elections is enough evidence Jubilee party has been hijacked by individuals who have no idea of running a successful political party.
Coincidentally, UDA, a party associated with William Ruto has been registering impressive results, even winning some seats in the same by-elections where the jubilee party would have easily captured.
Mathira MP Rigathi Gacagua believes Jubilee’s string of losses in Bonchari, Juja and Rurii ward in Nyandarua is a protest vote by the electorate against the once srong political party.
“That is why you will never hear us attack the president or say he has not meant well for us. He is however being punished in by-elections by utterances made by people like Jubilee Vice Chair David Murathe,” Rigathi told Saturday Nation.
Kivumbi.co.ke understands the general belief is Murathe and a section of Jubilee party top leaders have lost the plot as regards fielding of candidates for by-elections thus exposing the ruling party to ridicule.
In Juja constituency for instance, the party bypassed a popular candidate who was later given a ticket by Moses Kuria’s party and went on to win over Jubilee’s candidate by a huge margin.
Nakuru Senator Susa Kihika, also an ally of Ruto believes Uhuru has lost Central Kenya voters, something he can recover through a reconciliation with Ruto.
“It is only William Ruto who can help him (Uhuru) regain the mountain grip and we are ready if he is ready,” she said.
To call a truce, Rigathi Gacagua also says Ruto needs to be included in the handshake deal which introduced Raila into government and pushed Ruto away from Uhuru.
“The departure point was the incorporation of Raila Odinga into government through the handshake and the bulldosing of the Building Bridges Initiative. That also must be on the table,” he said.
The calls for a reconciliation have however been dismissed by a section of Uhuru’s footsoldiers like Ngunjiri Wambugu and Kiambu governor James Nyoro.
“The Ruto team in Mt Kenya has always wanted to negotiate with the president. In fact, they wanted to prove their muscle (through winning a by-election) before coming to the table. I do not think that would work,” said Nyeri town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu in an interview with Nation.
James Nyoro, who spearheaded campaigns in Kiambu where the Jubilee party was badly beaten, dismissed the reconciliation talks.
He also wondered why Ruto team believes Uhuru was being punished by central Kenya voters in the by-elections.
“A year and a half to the 2022 elections is an eternity in politics. The president was not in the contest (in the Juja parliamentary and Rurii ward by-election) and I wonder where they are drawing their fantasies for reconciliation demands,” he is quoted by Saturday Nation.
In May 2020, Jubilee Party Vice Chairman David Murathe said the differences between Uhuru and Ruto cannot be reconciled.
He claimed the deputy president had openly challenged Uhuru during a State House parliamentary meeting by asking some Senators not to attend.
This he termed as an act of rebellion against the Jubilee Party leader.
It is worth noting Murathe and Jubilee Party Secretary-General Raphael Tuju have been at the forefront in engineering plans to kick William Ruto from the position of Jubilee Party Deputy leader.
In October of 2020, vetran politician Maina Kamanda dismissed any talks of a reconciliation between Uhuru and Ruto, terming Ruto as a vindictive politician whose heart harbours a lot of anger and thus not suitable to be president.
“Our work to make sure this man [Ruto] does not ascend to power in 2022 is on, reconciliation is a figment of some people’s imaginations,” he said.
It thus remains to be seen if the latest push by Ruto’s allies for a conditional reconciliation will work given the hardline stance exhibited by politicians in Uhuru’s camp.
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