Jubilee organ recommends Ruto’s removal as deputy party leader

A day after Deputy President William Ruto met a section of Jubilee MPs at the party's headquarters as another faction met elsewhere, the party's  National Management Committee has recommended to the NEC to remove Deputy President William Ruto as deputy party leader for, among other reasons, opening a rival party office (Jubilee Asili) until such a time the development is discussed at the NEC.

Addressing the media on Friday, secretary-general Raphael Tuju said the painful decision was taken after Ruto had, on numerous occasions, gone against the party's principles.

“That the NMC has recommended to the NEC that the DP ceases to be Deputy Party Leader after he opened the so-called Jubilee Asili offices that is reserved for him and his allies until such a time that this development of Jubilee Asili is discussed at the NEC,” Tuju said in s statement read out to reporters.

Tuju also said Ruto had been banned from transacting any business at the party headquarters on behalf of the party and on behalf of his faction.

He accused the DP Ruto of planting discord in the party by conducting early campaigns despite President Uhuru Kenyatta’s stance against premature  2022 campaigns.

"The DP, a self-declared 2022 presidential candidate, will not be allowed to use the party headquarters as a centre of operationalisation of his hustler politics and to intimidate would-be opponents," the Jubilee secretary-general said.

He said the measures instituted were painful but had been necessitated by the conduct of Ruto and MPs allied to him who have repeatedly disrespected the party leader and acted against the party constitution.

Tuju said Ruto's visit to the party's office on Thursday almost caused a confrontation with close to 40 MPs from the rival Kieleweke faction who had camped at Serena Hotel planning to storm the Pangani-based offices.

Tuju cited the storming of the party headquarter as an unfortunate event, adding that it took a lot of convincing to make Ruto’s rivals back down from going to the party headquarters and confronting him on Thursday.

"Yesterday, the DP turned up at the party headquarters with more than 30 MPs, many of them known abusers of the president...foul-mouthed MPs that are on record attacking government projects like Huduma Namba. That move almost created an ugly confrontation.”

Here is Tuju's statement

Statement on attempted power grab at the party headquarters

The Party NMC held consultations this morning on what was witnessed at the Party Headquarters yesterday which amounted to an attempted power grab in the absence from the country of the Party leader, H. E. Uhuru Kenyatta.

In the run-up to the events at the Party Headquarters yesterday, we have witnessed in recent days the following that are attributable to Deputy Party Leader, Hon William Ruto that has been an exhibition of arrogance, insolence and disrespect of President Uhuru Kenyatta who is also the Party Leader of Jubilee.

We have witnessed the unprovoked and inexplicable abuse of Former First Lady mama Ngina Kenyatta by political allies of the Deputy Party Leader and the subsequent response by Hon. Ruto that exhibited not an ounce of contrition.

Some of the abuses have been expressed in the most primitive and vulgar vernacular.

Last week, the Party had made a decision not to field a candidate in the forthcoming Msambweni Parliamentary by-election.

Shortly after that announcement, the Deputy Party Leader came into the Party Headquarters with an aspirant in tow.

He went ahead to express his dissenting view on this matter but committed to respect the Party position.

It was a surprise to see the Deputy Party Leader emerge the following day unveiling and declaring his support for an independent candidate in contravention of the Party position.

Kenyans were amazed by the obvious absence of the DP at the KICC during the Covid-19 conference with his seat remaining conspicuously empty throughout the event where he was included in the program to the make remarks and according to state protocol, then invite the president to address the conference. For such travesty, the only thing we have received from the DPs camp are tweets from his allies rubbing salt into the injury.

In many days, weeks and months we have seen the DP run around the country in his so-called hustler political rallies in churches, markets and roadsides.

Up to now, the vast majority of those who serve this Party, and this President have heeded the call of the President that we should not put the country in a campaign mode so early so that the country may concentrate in the very important human development agenda of this administration.

This restraint is out of respect for the President and not because of a lack of leaders with ambition and capacity to hit the road and start campaigning.

We have witnessed with sadness the very rude and unmitigated defiance in the free of this fervent wish and vision of our President by his constitutional principle assistant, the Deputy President, Hon. William Ruto.

Yesterday, the DO turned up at the Party Headquarters with more than 30 MPs many of them known avowed abusers of the President.

These are the same foul-mouthed MPs that are on record attacking government programmes like the Huduma Namba.

It is disturbing that the Deputy President invites this same retinue to the Party Headquarters to give them a platform to increase polarisation in the Party.

Indeed, that move of inviting MPs allied to him almost created an ugly confrontation with close to 40 MPs not allied to him who also wanted to storm the headquarters.

It took skilful persuasion to prevail on the other group not to ascend on the Party headquarters for a confrontation that may have turned ugly.

While we recognise that it is important that we exercise wisdom and patience at the Party Headquarters, we have been forced by this among many other events to make a painful choice between supporting our President and the Deputy President.

We wish we did not have to make that choice. But given the discordance that the DP has brought into the Party, we would like to be absolutely clear and make the following announcement following our consultations at the NMC.

The Party headquarters is not going to be allowed to become the theatre of conflict and confrontation by different functions that emerge in the party.

The deputy party leader as a self-declared presidential candidate for 2022 will not be allowed to use the party headquarters as a centre of operationalisation of his 2022 campaign and to use the centre for intimidation of any potential opponent or party staff.

That it is no longer tenable for the DP to use the party platform including a statement from the party headquarters to advance his divisive so-called hustler politics that are counter to the party and president’s platform of uniting the country, the fight against corruption and the Agenda Four item. He will no longer be allowed to use the party headquarters to make such statements that are principally for his breakaway function of the party.

It is noteworthy that the party constitution has not given the Deputy President any specific role of organizing party grass root elections in collaboration with his selects MPs and Senators as emerged from the press conference yesterday addressed by MPs and Senators allied to him.

That the NMC has recommended to the NEC that the DP ceases to be Deputy Party Leader after he opened the so-called Jubilee Asili offices that is reserved for him and his allies until such a time that this development of Jubilee Asili is discussed at the NEC.

That we are committed to uniting the country even as we strengthen the party and we pledge our support and loyalty to President Uhuru Kenyatta until the end of his term and we will not countenance any attempted power grab as was witnessed yesterday.