Nairobi. Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has now told the Deputy President William Ruto to resign from government if he is dissatisfied with its operations and the direction it is moving in.
The President, in a candid chat with media editors at the State House in Nairobi on Monday, left little doubt as to the broken state of his relation with Ruto; his deputy of 9 years and running mate in two elections.
President Kenyatta told off the DP for criticising the same government that he serves yet being unwilling to ship out, hence leaving the country in a state of confusion over his stand.
According to Mr Kenyatta it is not right for DP Ruto to choose what government projects to take pride and credit in and which ones to distance himself from.
“I have an agenda that I was elected on, and that work must continue, and it would really be the honourable thing that if you’re not happy with it that you would actually step aside and allow those who want to move on, and then take your agenda to the people.
Which is what happens in any normal democracy, because you can’t have your cake and eat it,” he said.
“You can’t, on the one hand, say ‘I’m not going,’ and then at the same time ‘I don’t agree.’ You’ve got to decide, because you must be principled in that endeavor,” he said.
He added: So that you don’t confuse people; on the one hand you want to sing the praises of a government, that you’re saying ‘we have done this’ and you want to ride on them, but yet on the other side of your mouth you’re talking another language
President Kenyatta said the agenda on which he was elected alongside DP Ruto must continue, intimating that no differences between them will come in between that.
He added that despite the flop of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) at the Court of Appeal, it was just one of his projects and he will now focus on the Big Four agenda in order to move the country forward.
“I will not be deviated from the agenda I have set on course. BBI was just one of them, we still also have the Big Four which we have been consistently following and we will continue with the agenda as we have it,” he stated.
Addressing the BBI matter for the first time since the judgement was issued last Friday, Kenyatta said he respects the verdict, adding that the court loss was not personal for him.
“I’m more than happy to serve out my time and finish my program. I believe this is also part of my agenda to be able to bring people together and ensure we have a peaceful, stable country. Unfortunately the courts have ruled the way they have ruled and I believe they have been highly misguided in that process. Unfortunately we have had politicians, for short term political gain, who have deviated from why we had BBI to it being an issue of competition,”
“I hear some people say this BBI is meant to propel Raila Odinga. Raila Odinga declared his presidency with or without BBI and he is still on the ticket. BBI has nothing to do with his candidacy or Uhuru wanting to continue because there is no clause in the BBI saying that the incumbent president is going to continue for another 10 years,” said Kenyatta.
However, Kenya’s former Prime Minister and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga was quoted over the weekend assuring his supporters that he is now ready to face off with Deputy President William Ruto in the 2022 presidential race.
Mr. Odinga said the fall of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) at the Court of Appeal is not the end of the road for their quest for transforming the country.
The former premier said that even the journey for multi-party democracy was not any smooth but finally succeeded, hence even though they shall not appeal the Court of Appeal ruling, they can still explore other options.
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