Amid the raging political heat, Deputy President William Ruto (right) has maintained a studious silence. His allies have described it as “strategic retreat”.
Ruto’s last public appearance was on April 21, when he met Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims officials at his Karen residence.
He also missed out on the Labour Day event at State House where Cotu boss Francis Atwoli, one of his fiercest critics, was the main speaker.
And when Monday’s Parliamentary Group meeting of the Jubilee Party was called and the agenda leaked, it was widely expected that Ruto would skip it.
He had been at his Sugoi home in Uasin Gishu for the weekend but flew back to Nairobi on Sunday. On Monday, Ruto remained at his residence in Karen where he met Soy MP Caleb Kositany. He later went to the gym at Weston Hotel.
And as he lifted the weights and bike-raced, his key allies - Senate Majority Leader Kipchumba Murkomen and Majority Whip Susan Kihika were being outpaced at State House by West Pokot Senator Samuel Poghisio and Irungu Kang’ata of Murang’a respectively.
“The deputy President has been working at his office in Karen. He is busy with government business,” said his Deputy Director of Communications Emanuel Tallam.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country, Ruto would host meetings at his office and hundreds others across the country. In some instances, he would fly to Western region in the morning and be in Meru for a rally in the afternoon.
Coronavirus however slowed him down but he maintained an active social media presence, tearing down newspaper headlines, issuing condolences to the departed and commenting on issues of national importance. “Good people, we are in the middle of corona pandemic, destructive floods & ravaging locust invasion. Many who have lost work, income & livelihood are desperate and hungry. Let us reach out with food and all kind of support individually where we are able and collectively as GoK,” his last Tweet on Monday, read.
Belgut MP Nelson Koech now says the DP has taken time to understand the origin and nature of the political affront on him “by those he helped into power”.
“If you live in Kenya, you know the contribution of Ruto to Jubilee and Uhuru. When someone you helped starts to fight you unreasonably, you pull back and seek to understand why,” said Koech.
Koech said the silence will persist for sometime as they try to come up with an effective response. “We are taking a day at a time. They think they can step on everyone and win the political war because they have power. We are telling them that only time will tell,” said Koech.
The DP is also said to be coordinating distribution personal donations that he is channeling through churches, mosques and NGOs with networks across the country.
“He does not have to be loud to be felt. He is reaching out to people through their representatives while those in power are busy planning on how they can destroy him,” Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa said.
Nyali MP Mohamed Ali said the DP is growing his fortunes on the ground as his enemies fight him in the boardrooms.
“His focus is on the ground; where there are majority of his supporters,” said Mr Ali who was elected on an independent ticket.
MPs Aisha Jumwa (Malindi), Badi Twalib (Jomvu), Paul Katana (Kaloleni), Owen Baya (Kilifi North), Kassim Tandaza (Matuga), Benjamin Tayari (Kinango) and Lunga Lunga’s Khatib Mwashetani are among Coast leaders who accompanied the DP on his tours. Mr Twalib yesterday said he wished to reserve his comments on the Uhuru-Ruto wrangles. Katana said Kenya has bigger issues to deal with than Ruto and and Jubilee problems.
“The bigger issues should be the coronavirus, floods, hunger and the growing unemployment which has seen some people being evicted from their houses because they cannot pay rent after losing their jobs,” Katana said.
Kuria East MP Marwa Kitayama described the purge in Jubilee as normal disciplinary measures to strengthen the party.
“I have seen the likes of Senator Murkomen crying. But there is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time for war and a time for peace.”
North Mugirango MP Joash Nyamoko and Kitutu Masaba’s Shadrack Mose said they did not like the developments in Jubilee. “Yes, Murkomen went against the norm by attacking the President, but the process of disciplining him was not suitable,” he said.
Bomachoge Chache MP Alpha Miruka accused Uhuru of putting the country in a political mood instead of fighting Covid-19.
“It was in a bad taste for anyone to ignite political temperatures at a time we should be concentrating on how to handle the challenges the country is facing,” he said.
(Additional reporting by Patrick Beja, Kepher Otieno, Stanley Ongwae and Edwin Nyarangi)
