Jubilee Deputy National Chairman David Murathe. [Beverlyne Musili, Standard]
Jubilee Deputy National Chairman David Murathe has called out Deputy President William Ruto and his allies for criticizing President Uhuru Kenyatta during a rally in Thika on Sunday.
Murathe, who was speaking during an interview on KTN News, was responding after the DP accused the president of mistreating both him and his allies during his second term in office.
"You chased us out of parliamentary committees, called us names such as tanga tanga and thieves, but I want to remind you that we are the ones who stood by you during the 2013 and 2017 elections," Ruto told a public gathering in Thika on Sunday.
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In a rejoinder, however, Murathe, an ally of President Uhuru, expressed shock at the DP's utterances and accused him of stooping too low.
"I wondered what made the DP opt on personal attacks against him (Uhuru). All along, the DP has pretended to be good friends with the president, even calling him his brother and friend. Today, he was so annoyed," said Murathe.
Ruto also faulted President Uhuru for endorsing ODM leader Raila Odinga during the Azimio NDC at Kenyatta International Conference Centre (KICC) on Saturday.
During the same interview on KTN News, Murathe said the Deputy President position in Azimio la Umoja was not reserved solely for the Mt Kenya region.
Murathe made the remarks after his co-guest, Murang'a senator Irungu Kang'ata, taunted him saying Azimio la Umoja had left former Gatanga MP Peter Kenneth, who is aspiring for the DP position, in the political cold.
Kang'ata claimed that Azimio la Umoja had already settled on fronting Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka as their Deputy President.
Though not formally announced, the Murang'a senator insisted Kenya Kwanza would front a Deputy President from Mt Kenya.
This, despite Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala's sentiments that ANC party would not settle for anything less than the Deputy President’s position.
“DP Ruto was interviewed by his party UDA before being endorsed. We demand that similar interviews are conducted for the position of Deputy President, we subject Musalia, and Rigathi and see who understand the economy better than the other,” Malala said.
