By Cyrus Wachira
Deputy President William Ruto has insisted that he will not quit Jubilee Party amid persistent calls by his foes to resign following differences between him and President Uhuru Kenyatta that continue to play out in public.
Dr Ruto has in the recent past found himself on the receiving end for attacking the government that he is part of with leaders allied to the President demanding that he exits the ruling party.
Some of his critics have been accusing Dr Ruto of taking advantage of gullible Kenyans to popularize his Hustler narrative and focusing on his 2022 presidential bid instead of helping his boss fulfill the promises they made to Kenyans during campaign time.
But while admitting that his dalliance with the Head of State had turned frosty and that it was in the public domain, the Deputy President maintained that he will not allow his enemies to celebrate pushing him out of the government that he sacrifice so much for.
Blocked from accessing the Jubilee Party offices and his roles being assigned one of the Cabinet Secretaries, Dr Ruto said though the party was on a declining trend, he was hopeful that it will be salvaged and reverted back to its original vision.
For ejecting members allied to him, the DP said the party was headed in the wrong direction and that he might be forced to seek an alternative party if Jubilee does not stop the expulsion spree.
“UDA will be my option (to run for presidency) if Jubilee Party is not available but I still hope that maybe something will happen,” said Dr Ruto.
Speaking during an interview on national Television, the Deputy President said all was going well in Jubilee during their first term but things changed after their re-election in 2017 when the Handshake came in a year later and jeopardized their Big Four Agenda.
“We worked as a pair during our first term (when I used to launch and inspect projects) and had several priorities such as Standard Gauge Railway, roads and power connectivity which we worked on but things changed after 2017,” he said.
With the Handshake, Dr Ruto said, new advisors and players came in and his position, of President’s assistant, was taken up by other people and their priorities changed to the urgent need to change the Constitution 2010 slowing down their agenda.
“Our original plan was to create jobs and offer affordable healthcare but was overtaken by the desire to change the constitution. The President changed priorities and has not broken the law as he has the latitude (to do so),” he went on.
In what seemed as if he had been pushed to the corner of the room, DP Ruto said he will, if sought, support the government in doing what his boss thinks he could and that he will always offer honest advice.
Though faced with a lot of challenges among them rampant corruption, an unstable economy and an increasing appetite for debts, the leader said he had no regrets whatsoever and that he had done his best in the past eight years.
Dr Ruto said Jubilee Party had done well, ranking its track record at 7 out of 10, and that he was proud of his performance though they could have done better.
Being a seasoned politician, he said he will not be cowed by intimidation by his foes through the Stop Ruto movement but took a swipe at Mr Kenyatta for watching while he was being humiliated.
“Given an opportunity, I would not allow my deputy be humiliated the way former Vice Presidents and I have been humiliated,” the leader noted.
On Mr Kenyatta supporting his bid upon expiry of the former’s tenure in 2022, the Deputy President said he did not give conditions after agreeing to work with and support his boss.
“The President is an adult and can change his mind. Whether he supports my bid or not, he will remain my friend and I will not take any offense because he owes me nothing and it is the people of Kenya to decide who the next president will be,” Ruto said.
He said his government if elected as the President, will focus on stabilizing the economy through a bottom-up approach.
