- September 3, 2020
- Posted by: p mulee
- Category:
From left Kipchumba Murkomen and Deputy President William Ruto [Photo/Courtesy]
By Reporter
Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen has accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of sidelining his deputy in the day to day running of government.
Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV on Wednesday night, the former majority leader claimed that the Head of State stopped inviting his deputy for important state meetings.
He wondered why the President had betrayed his running mate who did everything to ensure the Jubilee party ascended to power in 2013.
The vocal senator seemed to confirm local media reports that Ruto was locked out of his official residence in Mombasa in January this year.
“He (Uhuru) chased William Ruto from a house in Mombasa. It is the same Uhuru Kenyatta who is arresting everybody associated with the DP. He has also not given the DP any responsibility, neither does he invite him for important meetings in the name of using COVID-19 as an excuse,” said Murkomen.
“William Ruto decided to support Uhuru in three elections and even way before in 2002. What is that one sin which if I meet the president today I would ask that Ruto did that washes away all the good things he did from 2002, to winning an election, to the second one and a re-run?”
With both Uhuru and Ruto keen not to show their differences in public, Murkomen claimed that the relationship between the duo has irretrievably broken down.
After the 2017 General Elections, the bromance that Kenyans were treated to whenever the two leaders appeared in public is no longer there.
When Ruto was last week asked by Citizen TV’s Joe Ageyo what happened after winning the 2017 elections, the DP said the current relationship with his boss was agreed on after Jubilee’s first term in office.
Ruto claimed that it was decided that he should take a back-seat to allow President Kenyatta build his legacy.
“We had UhuruRuto, it was agreed that we may need to tone down on the Ruto part so that we could have Uhuru stand out as the leader of Government,” he explained.
“My life is easy…You have not heard me complain… The situation between the President and myself is agreed upon…In the 1st term, it was Uhuruto… In the 2nd term, we want to build a legacy for the President…I am the DP and I know my place.”
Despite the claims, it’s evident that the once cordial relationship between the two hit the rocks after Uhuru struck a political truce with opposition leader Raila Odinga on March 9, 2018. Since then things have not been the same and the DP is on record saying the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader wreaked the ruling party
