President Uhuru dares DP Ruto to resign

President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) with Deputy President William Ruto during the 18th Annual National Prayer Breakfast at the Parliament buildings, Nairobi. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

 

President Uhuru Kenyatta has asked his deputy William Ruto to resign if he is dissatisfied with the government.

The President was speaking for the first time since the Court of Appeal upheld High Court's decision rendering the BBI process unconstitutional.

In meeting with the country's senior editors on Monday, the Head of State asked his Deputy, William Ruto to quit government if he was tired or dissatisfied with its functions.

"I have an agenda that I was elected on. The honourable thing to do if you are not happy with it is to step aside and allow those who want to move on to do so then take the agenda to the people," the president said.

The Head of State criticised his deputy for opposing a government he is part of, adding he was confusing the electorate.

"You must decide where you want to. Not to sing praises of the government and speak another language the other side," he went on.

Uhuru maintained that he would not deviate from his agenda at any point.

The cold war between the Head of State and his deputy started to show shortly after the March 9 handshake that brought together the president and ODM leader Raila Odinga at the steps of Harambee House.

The handshake then gave birth to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), aimed at amending the constitution to reunite the country.

However, Ruto, though not publicly declaring his opposition to the initiative, had on several occasions criticised it.

The bromance between them started fading away, the matching outfits were put aside and the cold war began, after Uhuru accused Ruto of moving around the country aimlessly, hence the name 'tangatanga' and that was even before the handshake.

It is this development that led to the formation of a breakaway party, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), and the subsequent expulsion of leaders who publicly declared support for the party.

Most of the Deputy President's allies have since then been ejected from key positions in parliament and some Cabinet Secretaries allied to the country's second in command sacked.