Hillary Mageka and  Dorcas Mbatia

Claims by Deputy President William Ruto that a cabal in government was fighting him have sparked debate on his place and future in the Jubilee administration.

A seemingly offended Ruto yesterday continued his attacks on the unmanned senior public officials even as his allies challenged the President to speak up on what they see as mistreatment of his deputy. They also want the President to guarantee Ruto’s security.

Yesterday, the DP cautioned public servants against being used to perpetuate certain political agenda.

He asked them to serve Kenyans according to the law rather than blackmailing and intimidating others to achieve certain political ends.

“We live in a country that is free and democratic. To try and use the criminal justice system to perpetuate a certain political agenda is in itself criminal,” he said in Meru County.

Ruto said governors, senators, Members of Parliament and Members of County Assembly were being blackmailed and intimidated because of their political choices and for associating with him.

He noted that if some people were uncomfortable with leaders who were supporting him, they should “come forward and face me instead of hiding behind some shadows”.

Senior politicians who spoke to the People Daily yesterday painted a picture of a Deputy President who appears to have lost favour in the administration he serves. 

“Ruto is helpless at the top. He does not appear to be enjoying the government structures that brought him to power.

His only defence is the Constitution that shields his position,” said a former vice-president who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The DP at the weekend sparked intense debate after he accused what he called “the system” which he said was out to ruin his character through a series of scandals.

He spoke during the funeral of his office guard policeman Kipyegon Kenei who died in suspicious circumstances last month.

Relationships

Perhaps a sign of the worsening relationship with his boss, President Uhuru Kenyatta, Ruto skipped the Beyond Zero Marathon in Nairobi where he has been a constant feature. 

Soy MP Caleb Kositany, a close Ruto ally, challenged the President to come out and declared his stand on the DP’s frustrations.

“The Deputy President has been a victim of hate and disobedience by junior civil servants. The question we are asking is “where is the President as his deputy is being harassed?” We need the President to speak up on this matter. The safety and security of the DP must be guaranteed,” said Kositany.

And speaking in Meru yesterday Gatundu South MP Moses Kuria also asked the State to guarantee Ruto’s safety.

“We are not afraid of any organ being used to intimidate or manipulate us because we are allies of Ruto and we are not ready to be used to sell the agenda of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga,” said Kuria.

Maendeleo Chap Chap party leader and Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua asked the Deputy President to make his frustrations official “instead of lamenting in churches and at funerals”.

“His outburst is an indication of a man under pressure. He is playing victim to galvanise his base. That is the oldest political trick and it exposes his under belly. He should record a statement to make his claims official,” said the governor.

Former Jubilee vice-chairman David Murathe, a close ally of President Uhuru Kenyatta, wondered what “system” Ruto was talking about.

“Isn’t he part of the system? Is he suggesting that there are parallel systems?” posed Murathe, adding that the DP sits in the National Security Council and chairs it when the President is not around.

Reality of politics

Political scientist Abuya Bagaka said the DP was experiencing the reality of politics. “It  is a clear case of a co-driver who has been reduced to a passenger in the bus he is supposed to be driving. 

He has no control of the bus. It is a clear manifestation of a person who has been sidelined,” he said.

“He should probably resign and reinvent himself by returning to his power base instead of being part of a system that has no space for him. 

A resignation will enable him to create momentum for what he has said to be his unstoppable march to State House because he still has troops.”

A key Ruto ally, Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wa claimed the scheme to “finish” the DP was hatched two years ago.

“The players are known but their plans have been crumbling as the people see through their evil schemes. That is what has led to the desperation that’s evident now,” he said

“The threats and intimidation of those of us who work with the DP grow by the day and as much as many of us have filed complaints with the authorities on death threats, no action is taken other than withdrawal of our security and being trailed even to the toilet,” he added.

While insisting that only death can stop his bid to succeed President Kenyatta, an angry Ruto on Saturday singled out Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti for orchestrating what he termed an elaborate scheme to scuttle his State House bid.

According to him, Kinoti has been mobilised for political reasons to undermine, discredit and destroy his office in order to bring him down.

Kenei’s burial

“Those in this scheme are boasting that I will not be there soon. Since the system cannot elect anybody, they can only kill. But there is God in heaven,” he during Kenei’s burial at Chamasis, Nakuru County.

“If you killed Kenei to threaten me, that plan will fail. I am not mad, I am the Deputy President and I know what I am saying. I know what has been planned and I am ready,” he added.

But in a swift rejoinder, ODM leader Raila Odinga said the country is entering a dangerous but decisive phase of “this tragedy”. In a veiled attack on the DP, Odinga said the mercenaries have dug in and are daring for a fight.

“I believe we should determine the time, terms and conditions of engagement,” he said.

City lawyer Donald Kipkorir told the DP to reconsider his options as it is apparent he’s not part of the system that is allegedly fighting him. 

“If the system is fighting you, then know you aren’t part of it … the system protects its own. You can’t fight the system whilst claiming to be part of it … you can only fight the system from outside,” he tweeted.

Nominated MP Maina Kamanda joined the fray and asked Ruto to resign over Kenei’s death.

He said that his resignation would pave the way for independent investigations into the death of the  police officer who was stationed at the DP’s Harambee Annex office.