President William Ruto’s studious silence as his lieutenants in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) tear into each other does not augur well for a country whose citizens are looking upon their leaders to correct the economic mess that has made life difficult.

For almost a month now, Kenyans have watched in utter disbelief as Kenya Kwanza heavyweights go after each other in public, fighting over shareholding powers, with strong ethnic arguments expressed.

Intriguingly, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has been at the centre of the attacks from some individuals perceived to be Ruto’s confidants, rekindling memories of the bad blood between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his then deputy Ruto, who could not see eye to eye in the last days of their administration.

The DP himself is on record blaming his woes to certain individuals from the Rift Valley with close links to Ruto that he claims are out to dislodge him from the 2027 political matrix.

A seemingly angry Gachagua went bare-knuckles, revealing that Ruto’s allies are already holding meetings in the Mt Kenya region to craft 2032 succession politics to his disadvantage.

On the other hand, those against the DP have accused him of high-handedness, bullying his juniors and alleged zealousness to curtail efforts to pass on leadership to younger people.

Who is in the wrong as leaders throw jabs at each other while Kenyans wallow in poverty and economic misery? Politically speaking, UDA leaders have the freedom to say whatever they want or disregard the rules, structures and processes of their party or, to some extent, Kenya Kwanza.

As with the Uhuru-Ruto clash, Kenyans are tired of watching elected leaders treating politics as a game with no rules, where everything goes and might equals right.

Whether Ruto has decided to follow the footpath of his predecessor, by having a government full of antagonism, is hard to tell. But at the end of the day, it is voters – that poor farmer who struggles to sell eggs to get coins to pay taxes – who is suffering. As the UDA party leader, Ruto needs to bring order to his house. He should convene an meeting where all the protagonists can sort out their differences or simply tell both camps to stop fighting.